The Cherry Blossom and the Avenger
by usagkawaii
Summary: Sakura must adjust to Sasuke's return to Konoha, despite all feelings of betrayal. Can she ignore all the feelings that were once there, the feelings that may still be there? IN PROGRESS.
1. Homecoming

_**A/N: As many might be able to tell, this is my first fanfic. So please, be kind. I absolutely adore those that follow, favorite, and especially those that review. Make my day?**_

_**I would recommend that my stories be read in the 1/2 page format.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. *sigh***_

**Chapter One: Homecoming**

_He's not the same_, Sakura thought as she stared at this strange creature that she used to know so well. Or so she thought. _You're just here to check his wounds_, she reassured herself,_ it's not a big deal_. His face was different, she couldn't help but notice; though his eyes had grown weary, his muscles had swollen into maturity. He had grown so much, she couldn't believe it. Even so, something about it made her sad; other than all obvious reasons. After all of these years, she half-expected to walk in and see the thirteen year old boy that she once knew; small and somewhat fragile despite his strength. They boy that was callous, yet human. This man was just... cold.

Despite the aversion she felt towards his unconscious body, she approached the bed. Collecting herself, she reached for the bandages wrapped around his torso, below the defined crease of pectoral muscle. _*slap*_ Sasuke's hand snapped up to her neck, his fingers coiled like aggressive snakes and his eyes met hers, black and emotionless holes serving as windows to where his soul should be. Sakura flashed red, finding it harder to breathe, and grabbed his hand in turn, her brow furrowed in rage.

"I don't like to be _touched_," she huffed, crushing his wrist in her brute strength. With a pained grunt, he cradled his hand and shot her a glare. She felt so idiotic, having not seen this coming despite past experiences with the dangerous nin. Because that's what he was, and that's what was to be expected of him: danger. Flustered, Sakura exited the room in a huff, adding to the nearest medic, "_You_ change his bandages." _To think I used to miss you_, she thought as she continued down the corridor.

Sasuke couldn't help but let a smug smirk spread across his face as he watched the rosette storm out of the hospital room. He still had an effect on her. _Sa-ku-ra._

* * *

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura addressed her teacher as she entered the Fifth's office.

"I have been informed that you stormed out of Uchiha Sasuke's room today," the Hokage said, not lifting her eyes from the documents that she had sprawled out over her desk.

"I did," Sakura confessed. Sakura suddenly felt mortified of her actions, having not considered that they would get back to Tsunade-sama.

With an exhausted sigh, Tsunade responded, "You are a professional now, Sakura-san. Not just some love torn teenager, that life is one of the past. I can't allow my medics to show such theatrics with their patients-"

"But, Shishou-!"

The Fifth raised a finger, her golden eyes now glared up indignantly as she addressed her pupil, "Uchiha Sasuke is now an essential part in the defense of this village from recent threats, as are shinobi like you. Now is the time for you to tend to him."

"Sasuke is a traitor, Shishou!" Sakura's fists clenched, an uncontrollable heat filled her face, "He betrayed Konoha, he betrayed his team! He betrayed _me_!" It had been a long while since the kunoichi spoke at length of the boy that once crushed her heart without mercy, and now she had no reason to hold back. A familiar pain pinged in her chest.

A sort of softness passed over Tsunade's eyes as she saw the desperation in Sakura's eyes, but she knew her role. As Hokage, and the girl's master, she had to act accordingly. "Sakura," she said calmly as Sakura fought the tears, "you must do this, if not for yourself, then for me. No one else has your abilities. I have full confidence in you."

Sakura collected herself, feeling slightly idiotic, "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" Sakura's spiky toe-headed friend Naruto called out to her as she crossed the street.

"I'm not in the mood, Naruto," she said as he followed intently behind her.

She sighed, Naruto was more dear to her than anyone, but now was not the time. The sort of feelings that the boy had harbored for the Uchiha were different from her own, there was no questioning that. In many ways, Naruto had more of a right to chase after Sasuke all that time, for Sasuke in many ways had acknowledged him as a friend. But Sakura? She was simply an annoyance, as he had so clearly stated. Naruto had his friend back, and she just had another reminder of how pathetic she had once been.

"Granny Tsunade already told me what happened," the kyuubi container explained to his rosette friend, "you have to give Teme some time."

_Time,_ she thought,_ he's had years._ Sakura bit her tongue, Naruto didn't deserve such bitter words; especially since they both now had much different feelings towards Sasuke being back. Naruto was ecstatic to have his friend back, all was forgiven. And somehow Sakura felt that she had much more to forgive, none of which had been made up for.

"Sakura-chaaaaa-!" Sakura turned to the whiny teenager and placed a hand on his shoulder, a calm yet confused expression took his face.

"I'll see you around, Naruto," she said to her friend before leaving him puzzled in the middle of the street.

If anything, she needed time. Not to forgive, but to smother herself with self-pity and lots of chocolate.


	2. The Request

**A/N: As you can tell, I'm just getting the hang of this. Had to mention that again. Go easy on me? Reviews are encouraged!**

**Again, I recommend this be read in a 1/2 page format. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Two: The Request**

"They'll never take you back," Itachi's voice entered his mind.

_They will,_ Sasuke's subconscious voiced back, _not everyone is so cold._

He could see his brother's eyes so clearly within the darkness of his own mind, _not everyone is so heartless._ The Mangekyo swirled as it stared into Sasuke's inner most thoughts.

"Why would they welcome a traitor? A weakling simply trying to avenge something much beyond his own potential," Itachi mocked, "it's quite pathetic, Brother."

And suddenly within the darkness of his mind, his long lost brother appeared. The abyss cleared from his view like mist, and suddenly he was back. A seven year old standing before all that he had lost, and before the one that had taken all of this from him. "Brother, why?" his memory spoke, and a malicious laugh filled his mind.

_STOP._

And his grasp found his way in front of him, his fingers coiled aggressively around a mysterious object. There he saw the painfully familiar virescent orbs, only they lack tears and a sort of fear that shook him to his core; he never understood why. No, this time they looked different. They were enraged. "Hmph," he thought, "this is strange." Thoughtless, he didn't realize that his hand was still on her throat, but it was too late.

"I don't like to be _touched_," and she snapped his wrist.

That bitch! He had just regained _consciousness _for Kamissake. Who did she think she was snapping Uchiha Sasuke's wrist as if she were entitled to such punishments? It's not as if he spit all over everything that she held near and dear in her life. Wait..

Well, it wasn't as if she confessed the love she had held for him all her life and he threw it back in her face. Wait...

Even so, it wasn't as if he tried to kill her- damn it.

The more he considered it, Sasuke realized that Sakura had every reason to loathe him and every moment that he spent in her presence. Looking down at his limp wrist, the resentment was still there and the word "bitch" rang through his head as he thought of the pink-headed nin. He shook the thought from his mind, scowling slightly at his near change of heart. "I don't owe you anything," he said to hypothetical Sakura. Yet as his words slipped out into thin air, Sasuke was forced to consider whether he did or not.

Within the next hour or so, Sasuke received yet another rude awakening in the depths of his self-interrupted slumber. "Oi!" the barely feminine voice roared. With a subconscious sigh, he peeped his weary eyes open. The Fifth stood before him, leaning her bum against his bed, her eyes glued to the wall.

"You rang?" he said in his usual unenthusiastic tone.

"The medics tell me you've been less than," the Hokage searches for the word for a moment, "pleasant, lately."

Sasuke scoffed. Just a day before he was the guinea pig for Konoha's new, effective, and brutal interrogation system, resulting in his hospital stay; despite being deemed trustworthy. What did they expect, sunshine and rainbows? "_Cakes for everyone!" _Imaginary, angel-like Sasuke chanted as he passed through the village with flowers in his hair and a smile on his face. Although the thought was amusing, he felt a bit ashamed of it; he shook it from his mind.

"I'm acclimating myself to people," Sasuke spoke a partial truth.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, "Does acclimating often consist of assaulting your friends?"

"That was an accident!" Sasuke was surprised by his own defensiveness, his sharingan glared.

"Hmph," Tsunade looked up at him, "Uchiha, you are here by your own choosing, meaning that life here will be as easy or as enjoyable as you make it. I suggest you acclimate quickly," she made her way to the door and turned a cheek to him, "Welcome back."

* * *

The rest of Sasuke's week consisted of sporadic visits from Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and his replacement, Sai (who obviously didn't know who the hell he was talking to when he referred to Sasuke as "dickless.") All disputes were easily settled by the stealthy copy nin who would handle them with a familiar, uncomfortable chuckle as he held the enraged Uchiha away from the ex-Root member. Still, for the first time in his life, he was forced to question the size of his manhood with great concern...

Nevertheless, with each passing day his resenting thoughts found their way back to Sakura. His condition wasn't much better than the first time she had been through there. A number of medics had followed up, but of course the ever so regal Uchiha sent them all away due to their clear incapabilities. Not to mention the myriad of times Naruto spoke of her magnificent medical expertise. "Teme," he could hear the nettlesome voice of the aspiring-Hokage in his head, "you wouldn't _believe_ how much Sakura-chan could help you! She really has grown since you left," and Naruto would sigh in admiration, making Sasuke's skin crawl.

It seemed unreal to Sasuke. He thought back to the countless times that he was forced to intervene, putting his life in jeopardy just to save this stupid girl. This thoughtless girl who cried constantly. This idiotic girl who didn't understand when she was not wanted. This stubborn girl who threw herself into impossible situations. This useless girl.

Naruto sat at the window, rattling on and on about things that Sasuke made no attempt to share interest in. Occasionally, he would mention people that Sasuke knew quite well yet had forgotten of their existence almost entirely. Kiba. Shino. Hinata. Neji. Lee. Shikamaru. For a split second, Sasuke envied his blonde, spiky-headed friend. These were bonds that, had they been sustained, could have been not just friendships but strong alliances. _Friends_, he said in his mind, holding back a scoff.

The pain in his abdomen had not surpassed in the week since his interrogation, nor had the bruising along his back. That damn Ibiki and his overly brutal way, Sasuke had certainly underestimated the large nin when he had first seen him at the chuunin exams. The scarred man may have looked like he was trying to overcompensate for a lack of something, but he certainly wasn't. He was the real deal. Sasuke cringed as he sat forward from his partially sleeping his state. As he opened his weary eyes, it struck him.

He could hardly see.

"Naruto?" he was tempted to call out as he stared aimlessly out into the blur in front of him. It had been quite some time that Naruto had been talking, he stood to make his leave.

"I have to go to our weekly meditation group," the toe-headed teenager explained, "Yeah, that's something else we started doing, but I might be back later!"

Sasuke's eyes followed the orange and black blur to the door before he muttered, "Naruto." A pair of blue dots faced him, and he sighed, "Fetch me Sakura. It's urgent."


	3. The Meeting

**A/N: Thank you to all that have decided to follow along with this little adventure of mine. It is deeply appreciated. Chapter Four is in the works!**

**1/2 page format recommended.**

**Reviews are encouraged!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Three: The Meeting**

Sakura arched her chest toward the sky, in complete synchronization with her comrades. At that moment she felt quite glad that Shizune had suggested this weekly meditation for a healthy mind and body, especially in harsh times like these. Moments away from complete relaxation, she heard, "Sakura-chaaaaan!" The remnants of her bubble of peace and meditation fell around her, and she lost her balance. BAM! A hematoma the size of a popsicle formed atop her head as it hit the concrete. The steam sizzled from her forehead.

"NARUTOOOH!" she shouted with a raging fist as she peered up at her friend, "What in Kami's name do you want?!"

Naruto caught his breath, "Teme is asking for you, he says it's urgent."

She was completely taken aback by the mere thought of Mr. Snootypants Uchiha ever giving the notion that he needed anyone other than himself. It seemed like forever since Sakura would have considered waiting hand and foot on the boy she had always wished would be hers and hers alone. She laughed a little to herself.

"I'm not going back, Naruto," she notified.

"But he needs your hel-"

"I said no!"

Naruto pouted at his rosette friend, his brow furrowed in disappointment.

"Teme is a part of our team again, Sakura-chan. And I know he hasn't done much to make up for anything that's been done, but I don't think you're doing any good by not helping your teammate. I know you would do it for me, or Kakashi, or even Sai. So why can't you at least do it for Sasuke?"

Sakura looked up at the adamant kyuubi container, and felt remorse. Not for Sasuke, of course, but at the thought of letting Naruto down. He was her best friend, he didn't deserve the disappointment after all that he had done to bring Sasuke back. She took a deep breath and lifted herself off the ground, dusting her hands off on her skirt.

"I'll see what I can do."

Shit, Sasuke thought as he tried hard to focus in on his hand out in front of him. He watched the blurry movement of his fingers when he heard the click of a door hinge. The small figure topped with rosy fringe approached him, and he chuckled slightly. Halfway across the room, she stopped.

"What do you need?" she spoke, not a tinge of interest or care in her voice.

Sasuke almost regretted asking her here. Why couldn't she be the pathetic girl she once was, the girl that would've died just to be near him, the girl that glowed bright red at the thought of touching him? He would've been healed long before now if she was still that girl. "_Or perhaps she wouldn't have bothered gaining these abilities,_" he considered. Rethinking her question, he sighed.

"I can't see."

The pinkette's brow bent, "You can't see?"

He scoffed, annoyed, "I know you're not _deaf_, Sakura."

"If you're going to be rude, you can stay blind," she snapped.

He was caught. "Fine, please heal me."

He feigned politeness, but she stepped forward anyway. _"Baka,"_ he thought. He watched her movements as she glanced over his chart and turned back toward him. She reached into her pocket and took out something, Sasuke hated not being able to see. _"This would certainly be the most opportune moment to assassinate me,_" he thought, almost considering jumping from the bed out the window. But it was just Sakura, after all. She may have changed, but she would never kill her Sasuke-kun. That baka. Or would she…? He swallowed, suddenly apprehensive.

She clicked the flashlight into each of his eyes, "How bad is it? What can you see?"

"Which one do you want me to answer first?" he derided, Sakura huffed.

"Just answer."

"It's like an out of focus picture. I can see that it's there, but I'm not always certain of what it is." He rolled her eyes, like she really needed a description.

"Okay. This might feel odd at first," Sakura said, in doctor mode.

Green chakra began to flow from her hands, he was a bit confounded as she took a seat along the edge of his bed. Feeling her next to him, it was just…odd. She rested her hands on his temples, the relief was intoxicating. He closed his eyes, his body relaxed and he cringed at the pain in his abdomen. He opened his eyes, curious to see whether or not she had actually made an effect. And there she was; emerald eyes staring back at him, the same face that he remembered from all those years ago. Still, something was rather different.

"Better?" she asked.

"Hn," he affirmed.

She lifted his shirt, Sasuke grabbed her hand. His eyes met hers intensely, and she scoffed, snatching her hand back.

"Get over yourself, I need to heal your injuries," she mumbled obscenities to herself.

Plopping back down on the bed, he waited patiently as she began to heal his multitude of fractures. He winced, this was more uncomfortable than the repair to his eyes, yet he could feel the healing. She could really do this. "_You're different,_" he wanted to tell her, yet sucked in his words in fear of a sappy response. "_Don't appease her,"_ his other thoughts warned.

"Turn over, please."

He smirked immaturely at her words. Pushing himself up, he let out a pained breath and she took his arm. She was helping him? He avoided her eyes, half afraid that she might spot the pleased sense of surprise in him She had a firm grip on him, it was almost impressive.

Again, a familiar relief hit his back. Naruto had spoken time and time again of her formidable skills, but being able to experience them for himself was beyond what he imagined. She was truly gifted. As the chakra was lifted from his back, he turned his head back to her. She had already stood and began collecting her things, he suddenly felt alarmed.

"This is the most that I can do for now," she said, not batting a lash in his direction.

"Not much," he lied, feeling the relief in his body.

"Well then you'll just have to gain some patience," her words were dull, "these things take time."

It was then that he realized he was not a fan of professional Sakura. Sure, he had wished while he was away that his friends had forgotten about him just as he tried so hard to forget about them, but he never expected Sakura to. At first her reluctance towards helping him was a good sign in Sasuke's enervated eyes, yet it had become oddly infuriating. How dare she treat him like a stranger, like he never mattered to her.

The pinkette picked up her bag of medical supplies and turned to Sasuke, her face was clear of hostility or care of any sort. She opened her mouth to speak, but just as it always was- Sasuke's anger got the better of him.

"Why are you being this way?"

* * *

Sakura felt her stomach knot up at the raven-haired Uchiha's words. She had done so well the entire time that she was there, shielding her emotions that were completely liable to crumble in front of the judgmental teen at any moment. How badly she wanted to sulk before him and slap him until his cheeks were red against her angered hand. How desperately she wanted to ask him how he could leave her when she loved him so deeply and begged him not to go. Yes, she was still a child at the time, but does that mean her love was not real? Really, in all of the ways that mattered now, she was still the child she had been back then. _"My love was as real as your desperation for vengeance,_" she thought as she tried to keep her composure before him.

"What way?" she was impressed by her own nonchalance.

"Don't act like you don't know me,_ Sakura_," he spat, his eyes glaring, deep crimson orbs of intensity. They made her stomach churn.

"You have no reason to speak to me this way," she asserted, "I came here to help you."

He shuddered harshly at the sound of her words, a part of her old-self was hurt deeply as she watched this. His fists clenched at his sides, a purple aura enveloped his body. Feeling a cold come over her, she watched intently as black marks stained his skin like a virus. What was this? In truth, she knew, but chose not to remember. So clearly, she could see it in her mind, what this thing had once done to him. A power that he had craved, a power that made him leave.

"I see _Right. Through. You_," he snapped.

"_Shit,_" she thought, her nerves wavered. "Sasuke," she almost whimpered as her eyes widened in fear, not of Sasuke, but of the memory. Thoughts of the forest of death flashed through her mind, the snakelike man and his wicked power that had forever changed Team Seven. This was not Sasuke, this was the cursed seal.

"Please calm down," she said, trying to muster up the courage to step closer to him.

"DON'T TELL ME TO FUCKING CALM DOWN."

Her body shook. "_Please make this stop,_" she thought desperately, her eyes closed tightly. She held back the tears and opened her eyes. He stared at her, his crimson orbs were almost blackened.

"Don't do this," she spoke, "Please. Sasuke-kun." She closed her eyes, overwhelmed.

Sasuke's groans of pain and anger slowed along with the whirring of the dark chakra. He hunched over the bed and collapsed, half naked on the linoleum floor, back to his normal self. He was weak and spent. This vulnerability that resulted from such overexertion was something she would never be used to seeing. She almost felt...pity, though she hated to think of it. Sakura bent over to help him.

"Sasuke."

Warm, onyx eyes found hers and she heard, "You haven't changed in every way."

She shook her head, "You're right, I guess."

Picking him up from the floor and cradling him in her arms, she set him back down in bed. His expression was filled with the disapproval of having been manhandled. For a moment, she caught a glimpse of the merely angst ridden boy he used to be; she caught a glimpse of the humanity that still remained. All was not lost after all. She couldn't help but smile. Picking up her bag, she turned and said, "It's been nice seeing you," _for the most part_, she thought but didn't speak aloud. Walking to the door, he called to her once more.

"Sakura."

She turned back, "Hmm?"

"No one can know about this."

Her smile faded, "I understand," before leaving him to his vices.


	4. Pushing Buttons

**A/N: So this chapter is a bit bland, but whatevz. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews encouraged! Your patience is appreciated. Chapter 5 in the works! (Please excuse any mistakes, I really just want to post it xD)**

**1/2 format always recommended.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

**Chapter Four: Pushing Buttons**

Sakura stared blindly into her full bowl of ramen; her best friend slurped at the seemingly endless streams of noodles.

"Oi, Naruto," Sakura scolded, sounding unintentionally similar to her Shishou, "you're like a damn sprinkler with those noodles," she wiped the warm liquid from her cheek.

Naruto's eyes narrowed childishly at his medic friend, a look those close to him knew all too well, "Maybe it wouldn't bug you so much if you bothered eating anything yourself."

Sakura propped her head atop her palm, staring down at the full bowl of food before her. An ache of hunger pinged in her gut, yet as she attempted to take a bite, the revulsion returned. Her appetite had been close to nonexistent for the past few months, between the missions and her packed shifts at the hospital. The kunoichi was absolutely exhausted. No amount of food could fill the gaping whole of much needed rest. Not to mention the exceedingly unexpected return of characters from her past, which simply added to her balefully high stress levels. But this lack of hunger, she realized, was different.

Emeralds lingered wearily along the countertop of the ramen shop before she heard a mellow yet cheerful, "Hello, friends."

Both blonde and pink turn to see black haired, alabaster skinned Sai; the same pleasant expression plastered on his lovely face.

"Why the long face, Ugly?" Sai asked almost lovingly, using one of the expressions he had just learned for sulky looking people.

"Sakura," she corrected him before adding, "I'm just tired."

"Are you sure it isn't Dickless and his obnoxious slurping that no one ever seems to make note of despite how unsavory it is?" Sai implored innocently.

"Hey, Asshole! I'm right here!" the Jinchuuriki interjected.

"So it appears you are," Sai said leaning over to look at the blond boy, his eyes crinkled into a friendly expression.

As the two friends continued their verbal skirmish, Sakura made her leave with a low-key wave "goodbye." Her shift at the hospital started in about an hour's time, meaning that she had plenty of time for a walk in the park. "Hmm," she thought to herself, feeling a cool breeze brushing against her cheeks, "I never seem to have time for things like this any longer. Today must be a good day."

* * *

The former team, Taka, all sat gathered in Sasuke's room, much to his chagrin. Kindly, Sasuke answered Juugo's questions of concern for the Uchiha's health. It was just Karin and Suigetsu's constant bickering that made the raven-haired boy's blood burn black with aggravation. Even so, every person in his life presently- in a way- had become his family. _"Family,"_ he thought. Naruto, his best friend and brother, just as Suigetsu and Juugo had become. _"Brother,"_ his mind rang as his thoughts found their way back to the man who had sacrificed everything so that Sasuke - whom he loved so deeply- could live. He shook the thought from his mind. Karin was like a sister. A very, very creepy and overbearing sister. Kakashi would always just be his sensei, but then again a great sensei could sometimes even mean more than family. _"So, where does that leave you?"_ his curious mind thought as it drifted to the photo of Team Seven at his bedside, focusing in on a certain young, pink-headed nin.

"Staring off into the distance again, are we?"

Sasuke closed his tired eyes at the sound of the water nin's voice.

"I highly prefer it to the view before me," Sasuke said, referring to the sharky boy and his crimson haired counterpart, who simply cussed at the Uchiha under her breath.

Suigetsu shot his arm across the room and snatched the frame from the nightstand. "What do we have here?" He examined the photo carefully with his violet eyes. "I didn't know you were so sweet and reminiscent, Sasuke-_kun_," he jeered, touching his cheek effeminately.

"Just give it back before you break it, Baka," Sasuke said, trying to sound nonchalant. Still, Suigetsu had never been one to back off so easily.

"Oooo!" the water nin cooed, "And who's this? She's quite tasty, Sasuke, she really is." He winked mischievously at the flustered Uchiha.

"Says you." Sasuke grimaced.

"Says me? What do you think, Juugo?" Suigetsu tossed it to his red-headed friend.

The beast of a man simply caught it out of obligation, he gave it a glance, and a second look, "Actually yes, she is quite attractive. Is this your medic friend, Sasuke?"

"Hn," the injured nin regretted answering. _Friend_, was that what Sakura was?

Karin scoffed, "Good for nothing twit." Her face was flush with jealousy, though Karin was not ignorant- she knew Sakura was gifted. This only made matters worse, of course.

The attention of the former team shot jointly towards the door as it opened. Sasuke sighed, just his luck.

"Well speak of the devil!" Suigetsu jeered in excitement.

Sasuke felt a jab at his gut as he saw her standing in the doorway. Sakura had never exactly had the best sense of timing, as he had discovered years ago. First, when she tried to break up a serious brawl between Naruto and himself. Secondly, when she just so happened to come across him leaving Konoha. Boy,_ that_ had gone so well...

Sakura's brow bent in confusion, but the half smile on her face remained, "Uh, hi?"

"Hello," Juugo greeted her, getting up from his seat beside Sasuke's bed.

"Hmph," Karin grunted, crossing her arms, glaring in the opposite direction.

Sasuke remained silent.

"Look, she's even cuter in her little uniform," Suigetsu said, taking Sakura by the hand and twirling her around. Sakura suddenly looked frazzled, a flush of embarrassment in her cheeks to match the tint in her hair. Truly, it simply made her more charming.

"That's enough," Sasuke almost snapped at his grey-headed friend, "It's time for my treatment. Leave."

The water nin was reluctant to leave the presence of his newfound interest in Konoha, but he knew better then to defy the aggressive Uchiha. Water would soon splatter across the four walls if he did, and that was never pleasant. The three of them exited the room, though not before Karin was able to shoot Sakura a death glare right before slapping Suigetsu upside the head as violet lingered lustfully over the medic's backside.

"Interesting bunch," Sakura said kindly as she searched through her bag, though not before noticing the picture that had been placed on the bed. It was their Team Seven photo. Sasuke caught the pleasant smile on her face as she took it and placed it back on the nightstand. Her touch lingered ever so slightly along the framing before she dropped her hand, returning to her bag. Things were getting too sweet for his liking.

"So how long before all of this shit makes me better?"

She quirked a single, slim eyebrow, "Are you not noticing a difference?"

"I never said that," his regal eyes searched the area around her, "I just want to get the hell out of here."

"Hmm, I don't blame you," Sakura replied indifferently.

She was being weird again, Sasuke noticed. It had felt like quite awhile since she had been to check up on her prioritized patient, part of him wondered what she had been doing; or at least why it had taken so long. _"Everything feels like an eternity in here,"_ he considered,_ "still not as bad as solitary confinement."_ For a second, his thoughts found their way back to ANBU detainment, he shuddered.

"Something wrong?" Sakura asked as she took his blood pressure.

"No," he replied, making sure to project the annoyance of her presence out in his voice.

"Alrighty then," she said, moving on to his breathing, a slight roll of her eyes

How the hell is she always so chipper? A part of Sasuke wished that the rosette knew more about the Uchiha's violent past. She had no idea what he was capable of, or what he had done. She knew nothing of the countless opportunities that he had to annihilate those that he cared for, yet he refrained. Here she stood, treating him like a child with the common cold. _"Baka,"_ he thought,_ "I could always__** make**__ her see."_ He could, with just an activation of his Mangekyo, he could send the medic spiraling into his world of terror. Only then would she be able to see all of the blood shed, the tears, the horrible memories. She would understand all to well what it was to be the last Uchiha standing.

"Was that your team?" she interrupted his resentful thoughts.

"Y-yes," he said, cursing the stutter of his offhanded reply, "former team..."

"So, the big one is...?"

"Juugo."

"Okay, and the smaller guy is..."

"Suigetsu."

"And the girl is Karin. I remember now," she smiled partially, "How's your back?"

Sasuke scowled at the friendly conversation before answering, "Fine."

"Well, I'll continue treating your eyes, but the rest of your injuries seem to be coming along well. You should be out of here tomorrow."

"Why not today?" A mix of disappointment and irritation clouded his features.

"Paperwork. I don't call the shots on these things." She shrugged, picking up her bag.

She was too happy. "What took you so long to come back?" he asked harshly.

It had only been about five days. "I had other patients..?" Her voice sounded deeply confused.

"I could've gotten out of here sooner if you hadn't been so careless," he said, trying his best to get a rise out of her; the crease between her brows pleased him.

"Careless? I'm careless because I've been doing my job?" she almost shouted at the Uchiha, a perturbed and unamused smile on her typically pleasant face.

"You're careless because you don't understand which patients are to be prioritized," the Uchiha spat back.

She shuddered in anger, "If I'm so careless then I guess someone _else_ can heal your eyes!"

"Whatever," he replied in a calmer tone.

"Ugh!" She slammed the door.

He smirked. Things had not changed as much as she wanted, and he was more than excited to see this for himself.


	5. Rumination

**A/N: So, this chapter has a bit more SasuSaku one-on-one time; but nothing too exciting. Sorry, we'll get there! I promise. Again, reviews are encouraged and appreciated. Thanks so much!**

**1/2 page format, always recommended.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Five: Rumination**

Sasuke gathered his belongings into a duffle-bag, lingering on his Team 7 photo. He had angered Sakura quite a bit the previous day. Although amusing to the raven haired Uchiha, he ran the risk of not getting his eyes healed. Shutting his lids, he pressed his fingers onto his closed eyes, just a temporary relief for what seemed to be an almost constant aching. He stared out the window, the sun reflected onto the white hospital sheets; blinding. It seemed like forever since he had felt the warmth of the sun on his pale skin. Between ANBU detainment and his hospital stay, Sasuke had been deprived of the outdoors for about a month now. Ambling over to the window, he pushed it open. The summer breeze tickled kindly at his face, blowing his black hair into his field of vision. He sort of scowled at the unfamiliarity and oddly enjoyable presence of the wind. He shut the window, wondering where his friends were. It was a strange day.

The door hinge clicked behind him_. "Sakura?"_ his innermost thoughts said, he scowled at his mind. Shooting a sideways glance to the door, he grimaced. _"Not Sakura, worse,"_ his other thoughts rang. Yamanaka Ino stood in the doorway with the same sort of pleased look on her face that Sakura used to complain about whenever having encountered the blonde nin.

"Kon'nichiwa, Sasuke-kun," the bubbly blonde greeted the Uchiha, making him glower.

"What business do you have here?" he halfheartedly asked.

A little disappointed by his dissatisfied tone and relatively cold nature, she responded, "I have your discharge papers."

Sasuke turned and took the papers from her hand, "Hn."

Turning a cheek as she began to make her leave, she added, "Oh, and we'll be sending a medic by every week to begin treatment on those death traps of yours."

The blonde disappeared down the hallway only to be replaced by another one. "Teme!"

Sasuke sighed at the foxy grin before him, "Dobe."

* * *

"Shishou?" Sakura peeped in at her master before stepping into the all too familiar office of the Fifth Hokage. "You called for me?"

"I'm sure you know why you're here, Sakura," the Fifth said as she reclined in her chair and stared out at the best view of Konoha, a cup of sake in hand.

"I can't say that I do," the rosette admitted, suddenly curious towards what was to come.

Tsunade took a sip and continued, "Other than Shizune and I," she gestured to the tall brunette standing beside her desk, "you are the only other medic that I find capable of healing Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, which have undergone extensive damage in the time he's been, well, gone."

Sakura closed her eyes at the thought of that infuriating man. If she never had to be in the same vicinity as him for as long as she lived, that would be just fine. Even so, she understood her duties not just as a medic but as the Hokage's pupil. Tsunade herself was quite busy with the day to day duties of being the Hokage, it was ridiculous to even consider that she herself would tend to Sasuke. And it was quite apparent that Shizune had been established as Tsunade's right hand and disciplinarian long ago, she was needed in the office almost as much as the Hokage herself. So, that just left Sakura. She understood her place. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade raised a brow and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her student, "Why the sudden lack of opposition?"

"Well," Sakura sighed, cogitating her words carefully, "I guess I understand where I'm needed."

Shizune smiled at Sakura reassuringly, a hint of a smile even hit Tsunade's lips as she said, "Fair enough."

"However," Sakura added before she sensed her dismissal, "I was hoping for...uh.. a raise..."

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow and tactfully gave a look that conveyed "Dream on" and "I'm about to send you through the wall." Shizune sighed at the girl's boldness, head hanging in exasperation and pity.

Sakura laughed nervously as she prudently backed out of the room with a wave. It was worth a shot.

* * *

Several days had passed since Uchiha Sasuke's release from Konoha Hospital. The lack of treatment had become evident in his sight. He stared out the window of his cramped yet comfortable flat. It was very much like the apartment that he had prior to his fleeing from Konoha. The Elders, in their ever so merciful manner, offered him housing in his childhood home. He tensed at the idea. Day after day, looking at the same walls that wreaked of pain and blood and abandonment. He couldn't fathom living there again; too many things to forget. Not that the Elders cared, those bastards.

He silently mulled over his hate-torn escapades. _"Was everything I endured all for naught?"_ he thought, looking out over the village. Maybe, eventually, his desire for revenge would have subsided with time and experience. Just as Kakashi-sensei had told him it would. Perhaps, he would have had a chance at a normal life, like that of which he seemed to be stepping into now. He would have had everything he once found so pathetic; societal place, happiness, bonds. If only he hadn't been so angry, so blind. _"Stop,"_ the calming voice from the back of his mind spoke, _"don't do that to yourself, Brother."_ Shaking his head and clamping his hands to his ears, he shut his eyes. _"Not now, Itachi." _And once again, the voice was dormant.

Down below, he spotted the three heads of former Team Taka approaching the entrance to his building. Cussing under his breath, he decided he had no choice but to escape the much unneeded encounter. Maneuvering out the window, he focused the chakra beneath his feet and on the palms of his hands, pulling himself onto the rooftop. He felt the sunshine on his regal features and took a long, leisurely whiff of the breeze that blew straight past him; though the weather was nice enough to sit back and enjoy, he was feeling restless.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he observed the village that he felt oddly desperate to familiarize himself with once more. He glanced over at Mt. Hokage, which now sported a new face. "Hmm," he said at his own imperviousness, his eyes glancing over the feminine features that he never thought would grace the stoic mountainside. Sitting on the balls of his feet, he watched the passerby villagers. Life here was enviously simple to someone like Sasuke. Almost too frequently, he found himself wondering what his life would have been like had he decided to stay. He would probably be a jounin by now, going on S rank missions that he imagined the jounins of the village were sent on while attempting to retrieve him. Perhaps he would have even reconstructed the Uchiha compound. He didn't imagine that he'd have more friends or a girlfriend, it simply wasn't who he was; missing nin or not. Even if he had grown incredibly as a ninja, goodwill or not, he had to admit that a portion of him missed Konoha. He had missed the security of it all.

A familiar figure caught Sasuke's eye as he stared out into the shadows cast by the midday sun. Sakura walked with an uncharacteristically low skip in her step as she ambled down the alleyway. Her eyes drifted down at her feet which kicked futilely at pebbles and discarded cans. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what it was that brought about the odd downcast mood in the pink-headed medic. He watched curiously as she stopped before something, she frowned a bit. An overturned turtle lay at the girl's feet, he almost heard her say something to herself as she looked down at it. _"Must've been some kids,"_ he thought. Bending down, she grasped the shell in her hand and watched as the appendages disappeared into it. She set it back down on the belly of the shell, continuing down the way. Her footfalls were slow, lingering. He wondered about her as confusion towards this girl enveloped him. "Where is she going?" he mumbled to himself, slightly alarmed as she neared his building. "Might as well have some fun with this."

* * *

Sakura dragged her exhausted feet down the street, feeling a hard day's work manifesting itself in every bone and tendon. Approaching the address she was given by Tsunade, she looked up at the building. She could've sworn that it was the nearly identical to the one that she would see Sasuke enter each day after training in their genin days. An old yet familiar pain sprouted in her chest as she reflected upon old times. She took a breath as she reached to open the door. A harsh brush of air blew her pink strands past her, she put an arm up to shield her face. She looked up, slightly petulant.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sasuke asked, partially accusing and partially amused.

"Uh," she sputtered, obviously thrown off by his presence, "forgot how fast you were," she mumbled to herself before continuing, "I'm here for your treatment."

"My treatment?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Unless you actually _want_ to go blind," Sakura said to the smug Uchiha, who grimaced moderately.

"I suppose I just thought there would've been some sort of notification beforehand," the Uchiha expressed, annoyed at the abrupt nature that the village had taken on.

Sakura smiled as he rolled his eyes without actually having to roll his eyes, as only he could.

"Well, you're here now, aren't you?" she said, suddenly peppy, gesturing towards the door.

"Tch," he sounded, continuing on to the entrance.

Once he pulled it open, Sakura couldn't help but silently commend him as he waited for her to enter first. With eyes alight at his manners, Sakura threw a glance as she proceeded past him, he scoffed. Entering his apartment, she was surprised at the noise from within. Sasuke actually allowed others into his apartment?

"Oi," Suigetsu sounded from another part of the flat, "He's back. And he brought the cute nurse with him."

"_Medic,"_ Sakura corrected internally.

Sasuke flopped onto the couch, closing his fatigued eyes as his face turned to the ceiling in apparent inertia.

"Where have _you_ been?" Karin feigned annoyance as she stood in front of Sasuke, any woman would be more than capable in seeing past her falsely irritated eyes. She totally wanted him. Sakura could see that; she stifled a groan.

He didn't budge at the comment. Sakura looked around as all four former missing nins went about their activities, though she found it difficult to ignore Suigetsu's very obvious scrutiny. Collecting the needed supplies, her eyes drifted around the room. It was _very_ Sasuke. Shelves full of books varying from politics to medical knowledge, which Sakura silently commended (again.) The walls, of course, were bare of any sort of personal mementos. Well, other than the Uchiha crest that he kept in a frame. Something about the conservative feel of the place comforted her, he hadn't changed all that much either. Her eyes strayed to a scratch on the lean, muscular bicep of the Uchiha; the blood was nearly fresh.

"Hmm," she said, smoothing a healing finger over the hairline scrape, "You didn't notice this?"

He scrunched an eye open, "I guess not," his eye shut again.

"Think you could heal this?" Suigetsu interjected, pointing to his chest.

Sakura frowned, "Heal what?"

"My broken heart, of course," the sharky boy explained, "I've heard much of your _wonderful_ healing powers." With a wink, he advanced toward the nervous kunoichi. Sasuke groaned.

Backing away with an uneasy laugh, she shook off the comment and gathered the chakra in her hands for Sasuke's treatment. Suigetsu stretched out on the couch beside Sasuke, Sakura's hands already rested on the regal boy's temples. As the other three chattered on, she watched as the crease between his eyebrows intensified.

"Sasuke," she said in a quiet, concerned tone, "is something-?"

"Everyone out," he interrupted. His eyes shot open in aggravation, glaring crimson orbs. "I can't relax my eyes with all of you chattering away. Out."

Sakura was surprised at how unopposed his command went, all but a few snarky comments from Suigetsu and glares from Karin. Juugo was just as content as ever, following his comrades out the door. Sasuke seemed to have quite an effect even on his new teammates. Although she suspected they had seen much worse from the boy than she had. She felt nervous.

"Uh," she began collecting her things.

"Obviously not you as well, _Sakura_," he said. Never had she felt her name as an insult, but Sasuke had a funny way of honing certain things. She sighed, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

"Okay." She laid her fingertips on his temples once more.

Seemingly endless moments of silence passed between the two, she hoped to Kami that he didn't open his eyes to see her cochineal cheeks glowing before him. His chest collapsed in well rested breaths, which she could still hear under the whirring of the healing chakra. Her eyes gazed over the beautiful boy. As his eyes remained closed, she smiled to herself. He had grown into quite a beautiful specimen, though she had seen this coming. Sasuke had alway been so beautiful. Still, this was different. He was a man now.

* * *

As she sat next to him, performing what didn't seem to just be her duty but a kind deed of personal interest, Sasuke thought. He thought back to the glum looking girl that dragged her feet down the alleyway, her normally lively emeralds- dim. Suddenly, the questions were scratching at his throat. He let out a sigh.

"What's wrong with you?"

Startled, Sakura averted her eyes. "Wrong? Nothing's wrong," she nearly struggled to say.

"You've never been a good liar," he said, pleased at her anxiety.

She sighed, "I've just been tired."

"Oh," he sneered, "I seem to have forgotten how busy you've been being Konoha's most _prized_ medic."

"Hmm," she smiled to herself sweetly, "you've never liked giving credit to others much, have you, Sasuke?"

Her congenial response to his spiteful remarks was making him uneasy. "Well, you look awful," he said, cursing the shred of concern that seemed to slip from his lips.

Sakura retracted her hands from his temples, she looked at him the way she once had- as if she knew him. Maybe she did. She gave a hopeless chuckle. "I guess I just don't have time to tend to my appearance, I'm a little busy being a kunoichi after all."

She stood from her seat next to him, he gave her a quick glance up and down. She didn't notice, for she had already begun to pack up her supplies. She didn't look awful, if anything the years had done the strange girl some good. From her lovely ivory skin, to her lean yet curvaceous womanly form. _"She doesn't look bad,"_ he thought, "_just so- sad."_ Pushing the thoughts aside, he observed the girl in front of him. Gloomy emeralds met black, a weak smile appeared on her face.

"I'll be going now," she explained.

"Hn."

His nonchalant response seemed to hit her in a surprisingly sensitive place. What was this suddenly emotional side she was showing? Maybe she really was exhausted, too exhausted to keep up a front at least. She ambled over to the door. Sasuke didn't move from the couch but listened to her gentle footfalls the whole way. She neared the door.

"Sakura."

He felt her eyes turn, they bored into the back of his head. From all the years he had known her, the feeling of her gaze falling on the back of his head was all too familiar. She waited patiently.

"Yes?" her voice lifted.

He closed his eyes. Inhale. "Thank you." The door opened and closed at a patient pace.

Exhale.

Sakura had left the room, though she hadn't left his mind. Not even close.


	6. The Festival

**A/N: Reviews make my day, not to mention they make my writing go by more quickly. ^.^ They are much appreciated. This chapter is longer than usual and filled with some nice tension, if I do say so myself. ;)**

**Festival scene inspired by "Believer" by American Authors.**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Naruto.**

**Chapter Six: The Festival**

Quietly, Sasuke shifted in his spot within the tree, eyeing his target with vigilance. _"Not yet," _he thought to himself, his bangs swiftly blowing past his beautiful features. His hand twitched in promptness as he mentally counted down the milliseconds before he would spring into action. As still as pond water on a dreary winter morning, his target sat; almost waiting. Anticipating.

"_Now!"_

In as swift a movement he could manage without getting too excited, Sasuke launched himself forward. The air moved with him, almost natural. Arms stretched outward, Sasuke went in for the catch. "Hmph," he grunted as he hit the ground, pleased with his success; the cat's fur was snug under his grasp. "REOOOOOW!" the cat wailed at its disappointing capture, struggling in Sasuke's hold. Claws flew rapidly through the air in furious thrusts of frustration. "Damn it!" Sasuke shouted, struggling to maintain his grasp as an array of scratches were inflicted upon his skin. As paw met eye, he could take no more and the feral feline sprang free. He groaned ferociously as he watched it go, knowing it would only be harder to catch it the second time around.

* * *

Rock Lee outstretched his left shoulder in relief with an exaggerated groan, "Ahh, Sakura-san, you really are magic. Thank you so much! I am forever in your debt. My shoulder feels better than the day I first came out of my mother's-"

Tenten slapped a large paper fan over the ninjutsu crippled nin's head, sighing in exasperation. Hyuuga Neji shot his teammate a look of disapproval and sighed back into his usual calm demeanor. Sakura let out a dreary breath of air, "I assure you, Lee, it's no problem."

Patting the green-clad ninja on the shoulder, she exited the room, though not before noticing Lee melt into a state of complete euphoria, "TENTEN, she said my name! Oh, Sakura-san! She totally wants me!"

Walking down the hallway of the place she now found herself more familiar with than her own home, Sakura felt glum. Her footsteps had kept their usual pace of "I'm in a hurry yet don't have the energy to run everywhere" yet they were tiresome. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept through the night without being woken up to a sudden squadron of ANBU filling her emergency room. "War times are tough," Tsunade had said to her after her highest mortality rate ever, "but so are you. At least know that once all of this is said and done, you can handle anything." A day hadn't gone by that Sakura didn't repeat these words to herself, whether she were brushing her teeth or healing an entire battalion of injured shinobi.

Once her shift had ended, Sakura stepped out into the warmth of a smiling, setting sun. For a moment, she swore she could hear the wind whisper words of welcome.

"Tadaima," she whispered back. She closed her eyes, breathing in the breeze.

Flicking her viridian orbs open, she tensed at the sight before her. Uchiha Sasuke glowered, tiny scratched nearly covering his face and arms. As per usual, a discontented frown on his lovely face. _"You can handle anything."_

* * *

Sasuke watched intently as Sakura used a disinfecting medical jutsu on his arm. Even in the serene setting of Konoha's loveliest park, Sakura still seemed so weary. Her movements were patient, not as speedy and efficient as she typically was. Something about the uncharacteristic tenderness of the rosette made him feel unsettled. The warmth in her eyes and weariness in her smile, it reminded him of his mother. He closed his eyes at the fondness that came along with the pain of this memory.

"Am I hurting you?" Sakura asked him, stopping the flow of chakra, "Because that shouldn't be happening."

He shook his head and tried to ignore innocence of her startled gaze, "No, it's not that."

"Then what is it?" she implored, her head tilted slightly to the side.

He frowned at her concern, countering it with a, "You've been working too much, haven't you?"

Sakura looked at him, feigning confusion, "No, I'm fine."

"Tch," he sounded, "bad liar. You know, you're no use as a medic if you're exhausted. Soon enough, you'll get sloppy and screw something up."

She gave a weak smile as she began to treat the cuts on his face, "Believe it or not, I'm good at what I do, Sasuke. My tired hands are often more useful than the energetic hands of a mediocre medic."

"Hmph," he chuckled, amused at his own thoughts, "If you say so."

The two shinobi sat in silence as Sakura continued healing his wounds. The meeting was elongated by the wound to Sasuke's sensitive eye. With malice, Sasuke recollected the furious paw approaching his eye. He had underestimated the term "cat-like reflexes." He listened as a slow breeze blew past them, her pink locks didn't seem to distract her from her work as they tingled at her cheeks. Without looking at her, Sasuke examined her eyes. Their usual shining luster had died down, her eye lids drooped in the slightest. Before long, Sakura had broken the silence again, surprisingly to Sasuke's relief. He felt too at ease.

"Tsunade's been sending you on D-ranks, has she?" Sakura commented, amused at the discontent that came over his lovely face. "Knowing you, I thought you might have remembered even the little things from our genin days."

Sasuke scoffed at her phrasing. _Knowing you._ Did she know him? "Chasing after a cat wasn't among my priorities of things to remember," he cast her a dark look.

She simply chuckled a bit and mumbled to herself, "Hmm."

"What?" Sasuke pushed, curious at the sound.

"Nothing," she began, "it's just that it perplexes me as to why Hokage-sama would be sending an experienced ninja on D-ranks in a time like this, " she sighed, "it's probably the Elders' doing."

Sasuke flinched at the thought of the old bastards. They didn't trust him, though he had to admit they had good reason not to. "I suppose you're right," he said, sustaining a calm tone despite his obvious anger, she was not oblivious to this.

A moment of silence passed before Sakura let a weak chuckle escape from her mouth. He turned his eyes to her, awaiting her explanation.

"One of these days, that pulsating vein in your neck that pops out when you're angry is going to burst," she warned, resting her tired hands in her lap.

He shut his eyes, nose pointed slightly upwards, as if to role his eyes at her words. The gesture reminded her much of their genin days. She stifled a sigh. The two continued to converse at a slow pace, filled with moments of pondering silence. Sakura had had a long day, and it was no wonder that she was still lucid after working a 48 hour shift. Another ANBU disaster, but it hadn't been all that terrible, no one had died. Still, she couldn't help but consider whether Sasuke was right about overworking herself. Naruto said it often, as did Kakashi, even Sai mentioned it sometimes. As her thoughts dragged on, so did their time together, her lids grew heavy. Suddenly the last thing she heard was, "It's odd being back here, in Konoha."

Sasuke pondered the comfortable silence that came over them. It wasn't something he was used to in this context- sitting next to someone you could just as easily be speaking with yet choose to say nothing. The silences he usually endured were spent alone. "It's odd being back here," he mused, staring meaningfully out into the village around the, "in Konoha." His own words lingered on his mind as they slipped out. It was a thought he'd carried from the moment he stepped foot through the gates. And yet here he sat, almost...content? He turned to Sakura, who had been oddly quiet. "Hmm?" he mumbled, observing her strangely peaceful features. Softly, he poked at her arm and watched her begin to slide down the bench. The woman had fallen asleep. With the swiftness of the ninja he was at heart, he stopped her from falling over and positioned her on his back, securing her legs in his hands. "This woman," he sighed, taking off into the village.

* * *

Shifting around in cool linens, Sakura wondered about what time she got home. Going through the scenarios in her sleepy head, she decided that there was simply no way that she had made it home alone. Had she fallen asleep in the park? _"Sasuke's going to be upset about that,"_ she thought. She peeped an eye open at the familiar scent that was not her own, and from the nightstand stared the dark eyes of the Uchiha family and two very familiar faces. Panic shot through her at the sight of the photograph.

"S-Sasuke?" she called out in bewilderment.

Calm footsteps followed moments later, she gathered the sheets around her.

"What?" the Uchiha spoke, rubbing his eyes, clearly in a tired state.

"Why am I asleep in your bed?"

"Because I put you there, now go back to sleep."

"But Sasuke-"

He lifted a hand to silence her, "Sakura, go back to sleep. I have work to do."

He disappeared from her sight and she disappeared beneath the sheets.

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke collapsed next to Sakura in bed, not caring whether or not it would upset her to be sleeping in the same space as him. He stretched out in bed, his back sore from the time that he spent attempting to sleep on the couch. "Jesus, Sakura," he mumbled to himself as he claimed his portion of blanket that she had taken for herself. Resting his eyes, he realized that this felt strangely comfortable. Being able to sleep soundly, not being alone. It was- nice. She tossed in bed next to him, a limp hand flinging onto his bare chest. His eyes shot open, staring down at the pale hand. As he lightly slid his fingers into her palm to move it, he felt her hand grasping his fingers. He looked to her, still sleeping soundly. For a moment or two, he simply sat there; hand in unconscious hand with Sakura, a girl he once found repellent. Shaking the lovely thought, he moved her hand back into place over her own chest. "Enough," he said to himself, before turning away from her.

Later that morning Sasuke awoke to a Sakura shaped indention in his bed, accompanied by a small piece of paper. Stretching his arm out, he grabbed the note which read: _"Sasuke, thank you for a good night's sleep. I am certainly indebted to you even more than I was to begin with. Sorry I couldn't stay, but the hospital does need me-"_ he could hear her emphasizing the 'does' in his head, he scoffed and continued reading, "_I hope to see you at the festival this evening. I'm sure Naruto will force you to go. -Sakura."_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the words, "What festival?"

* * *

Sakura stared lovingly as decorations in preparation for the day's festivities were put up all around the village. Festival season was full of nostalgia for the pinkette, as it probably was for many in the village. Even in times of war, the festival seemed to be a refreshing lapse in stress. It was a time for dancing, and music, and good times to be had. And of course, the food. _"Oh,"_ she thought, _"the food._" It was also quite fun to get all dolled up in her kimono, something that she had become quite unfamiliar with in her time as a ninja.

Red streamers signifying Fire Country pride could be found all throughout the streets. Among the sights came lovely smells of festival desserts and barbecue cooking on the grill, (she could imagine that Chouji was certainly looking forward to _that_.) Looking up at the speedy hands of Yamanaka Ino as she skillfully worked on a mum, Sakura smiled.

"What's with you, Forehead?" Ino pried, her exposed azure eye matched the expression in her pleased smile.

"I guess today just seems like the first in awhile that I have something to look forward to," Sakura shrugged, leaning back on the counter as she watched the passerby villagers through the shop's open door.

"Huh," Ino scoffed, a suspicion-filled smile spread across her face, "I'm sure you've had plenty to look forward to ever since the Hokage assigned you to Sasuke's case."

"As if!" Sakura retorted. "It's not fun being around someone who could stare you to death only if he cared enough to do so," she sighed heavily, "I wish he would do me the kindness."

"He can't be _that_ bad," Ino mused.

Sakura shot her a look, her brow raised.

"Or perhaps he is," Ino added.

"I dunno," Sakura continued, "sometimes he's just," she let out a breath, "a lot to take in."

"Whatever," Ino dismissed, giving Sakura a playful poke to her wide forehead, "You _love_ that he needs you. More so, you _love_ getting closer to him again."

Sakura considered her blonde pal's words for a second. Of course having Sasuke back was great, it seemed to make everything so much easier. Not to mention how at ease everyone had seemed lately, especially Naruto. Naruto's happiness was enough to fill the entire village, it seemed. Yet every time she pictured those intense red orbs, she couldn't help but crawl up in a hypothetical ball of safety from all that was too emotionally overwhelming. She shook the boy from her head.

"I wouldn't say that I love it," Sakura admitted, "but it's not as awful as I thought it would be."

Ino smiled at her friend's confession, "The first step to recovery is acceptance."

Sakura smiled, letting an amused chuckle escape from her lips. "Tch," she sounded giving Ino a playful push. As much as she hated to admit it, Ino could always get her true feelings out in the open.

* * *

"Ah, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto nagged, "You've got to come to the festival tonight! Everyone in the village goes. After all, you are one of us again, aren't you?" He nudged the raven-haired boy, who was still recovering from his near run in with Naruto's lethal rasengan.

"Huh," Sasuke huffed, still trying to catch his breath, "I never even went when I was a child." In all truthfulness he had gone, but he'd only ever been with his family. He didn't like to think about it.

"It'll be great," Naruto mused, his golden eyes still glowing in sage mode from their last sparring match.

Sasuke envied his excess chakra as he sat on the floor nearly out of breath.

"I can see it now," Naruto exclaimed, his arms outstretched as if to present a picture, "all the fireworks, and the music. Imagine all the cute girls in their kimonos, Teme!" His eyes sparkled and he shook with excitement before his eyes suddenly narrowed at the raven-haired boy recuperating on the ground, "Except Hinata-chan. Don't even think about it," he turned away, "she's...special."

Sasuke couldn't help but scoff with a hint of amusement at the foxy boy, "Don't worry, I wouldn't touch your precious _Hyuuga_."

Naruto simply darted his tongue out at the Uchiha. "But seriously, Sasuke," Naruto continued, "Come. To. The. Festival."

"Why?" Sasuke asked impatiently, feeling stupid having succumbed to the boy's nagging.

"Because it'll be fun!" Naruto cried with childlike tenor.

Sasuke was quite unmoved by his words and simply got up from the ground to collect his shuriken from the surrounding trees. Naruto frowned for a moment before throwing his arms up in realization, "Ooo!"

Sasuke grimaced, "What is it, dobe?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"Okay..."

"We'll spar _for real_ this time."

Sasuke was caught at the kyuubi container's words, "Go on."

"Okay," Naruto began, "if I win, you go to the festival."

"And if _I_ win?" Sasuke raised a brow.

Naruto sighed. "I won't _make_ you go."

"And?" Sasuke coaxed.

"What do you mean '_and',_ dattebayo?!" Naruto said, Sasuke smirked and Naruto went on, "Fine. _And_, I'll convince Granny Tsunade to relieve you of your kiddie missions."

Sasuke continued to smirk at his friend, "You're on, dobe."

* * *

Sakura tangled with her outfit, the traditional yukata was without a doubt beautiful but a hassle to put on. Ino caught her falling friend as she began to crash into the floor. "Graceful," Ino poked fun at Sakura as she helped her with her wrappings.

"Pig," Sakura poked back, begrudgingly accepting the help.

"It's like you never studied to be a _kunoichi_," Ino mocked.

"It's been awhile!" Sakura asserted, straightening out the skirt.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ino mumbled.

Sakura envied the ease in which Ino had managed to slip on her midnight blue yukata, which complimented her eyes quite well. Ino had always been better at these feminine things than Sakura ever cared to mention. And so on occasions such as these, Sakura simply lent herself over to Ino, allowing her to make all of the decisions pertaining to Sakura's attire.

"There!" Ino exclaimed once she had finished with Sakura's hair and make-up.

The yukata was as lovely as Sakura had remembered it to be. A red silk base, embroidered with golden flowers, accented with greens, oranges, and yellows. Ino had styled her normal pink fringe into a neat bun atop her head with simple tamas crossed into it, thin strands of hair still hanging out on either side of her face. Her emerald orbs were accented by the red liner beneath them. She looked at herself in the mirror.

"Damn, Ino." Sakura commented, almost not recognizing herself.

"Okay! Time to go," the blonde said.

"Not quite yet," a voice piped up. The two turned to the door where Haruno Kizashi stood, a cherry blossom in hand.

"Otou-san," Sakura chimed as her father approached, his gentle hand placing her namesake flower in the spot of hair adjacent to her ear.

"There," he said with a pleasant smile, "beautiful."

* * *

The two kunoichi walked out into the bustle of a busy street. The tribal beat of drums could be heard all throughout the village as they walked down the pathway lit by lanterns and shop lights. Sakura smiled at the children that ran by, little boys in ANBU styled masks and girls in kimonos. "Oi, Ino!"

Chouji and Shikamaru approached the two, the latter looking a bit more animated than usual.

"Hey guys!" Ino waved to her teammates.

Sakura unintentionally tuned out their conversation as her eyes turned to the sky above. The stars were unusually bright, even with all of the lights around her. Suddenly, a loud crash of fireworks erupted in an explosion of reds and yellows. A series of 'ooo's rose from the crowed as they all watched the pyrotechnics above. She smiled, lowering her gaze.

"Hmph."

Sasuke let out a pleased grunt as he stood next to a smiling Naruto who soon let out a, "Sakura-chan! You look wonderful!" Before she knew it, the foxy boy had her spinning around, making her dizzy. She was much too happy to scold him as she usually would have, still her attention was steady on another dark haired boy.

"Arigatou, Naruto," she said to her dear friend. She turned her gaze to the dark boy beside them.

"Sakura," Sasuke greeted, with a light bow of the head. She curtsied in a humorous response.

He sported a more traditional twist of his usual attire. She was certain there was an Uchiha crest still embedded into the back of the dark shirt he wore. He looked just as lovely as ever. Their eyes met suddenly and she could feel the crimson rising to her cheeks, but the moment was quickly interrupted by none other than Konoha's beautiful "Green Beast."

"SAKURA-SAN!" the wide-eyed boy shouted in sheer excitement, "you look absolutely AMAZING!" He sprang at her with impressive speed, twirling her about.

"Oi, Lee!" Naruto quickly said, "she won't look all that cute covered in puke."

Sakura laughed nervously as she stumbled to gain her balance.

"Let's all go see the bands!" Ino proclaimed.

Teams Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma all followed suit. Sakura couldn't remember the last time they had all been together, the feeling was beyond words. In her elation, she turned her gaze to search for Sasuke. He was surprisingly close now, close enough for her to notice the bruise on his left cheekbone. She would have to interrogate him about that later.

Everything seemed to be absolutely perfect. Jumping in complete synchronization with her comrades to the beat, lights flashing against there faces; this was the prime of their lives. This moment was all that they had, and she wanted to hold onto it forever. She chuckled as Naruto and Kiba hoisted poor little Hinata above them, much to Neji's chagrin. Bubbles floated through the air and onto their shining faces. Naruto hooked an arm around her neck playfully, she gave him a light punch to the ribs with a laugh. She turned her gaze to the night sky and then to her right. Sasuke's expression might have made anyone assume that he was pleased, but Sakura knew him well enough to constantly second guess any of his expressions. Giving him a a nudge to the arm, she smiled. His brow lifted at the gesture, but he couldn't resist a smirk. Much to Sakura's wonderment, the dark haired boy then gave a gesture with his thumb, as if to say, "Let's get out of here." Sakura resisted the goofy smile that was about to spread across her face and simply gave a nod.

The two made it past the crowd and into the nearly empty streets of his neighborhood. Silence grew between them, all but the sound of their footsteps and the distant beat of drums in the background. They walked closely, their arms brushing lightly against one another. Sakura blushed, not only from the indirect intimacy but from the growing heat of a night in a yukata. Soon enough, they found themselves back at the outskirts of the festival, where they decided to sit and rest. Sasuke remained silent, though the peaceful expression on his face had not faded.

"So," Sakura broke the silence, "are you going to electively tell me what happened to your face?" she swept his hair away from the bruise.

"Ask the dobe," he replied, smirking fondly at the predicament.

"I think I'll have to," she mused.

The breezy night relieved the blush from Sakura's cheeks, but not for long. She felt the tingle of flesh at her ear, from the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke's hand fiddling with the flower she had forgotten was in her hair.

"How fitting," he said, the calming depths of his voice sent chills up her spine.

Turning her gaze to meet his, she realized that this was the closest their faces had ever been. Her palms grew clammy. He had a certain spice to his scent, she liked it. Neither of them moved for a moment. Sasuke tucked the strand of hair that flew into her face behind her ear, he snorted.

"You're blushing like an idiot," he informed.

Sakura's modest smile did not waver, "I know."

As they sat there for awhile longer, the pair spoke of nothing in particular. Sasuke mused on Lee's infatuation with the girl. Sakura spoke admirably of Hinata and Naruto as an item. Sasuke would scoff, she would roll her eyes. It was typical of their time together, and yet they couldn't have asked for more. The two later returned to their group, a sort of calm and comfortable vibe passed between them as they exchanged glances and spared words. All they'd really done was walk, but something felt different. Nonchalantly, they played off any accusatory yet playful comments that their friends offered along with curious questions of their whereabouts. It was past dawn before any of them saw a bed.

Sasuke fell into sleep smiling.


	7. The Bell Test

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took me awhile, I haven't felt very inspired lately. Nevertheless, I hope it's enjoyable. Now let's get through all of the less enjoyable growth so we can get to the good stuff in the next few chapters! :D**

**Thank you for your patience. Reviews make life worth living! ^_^**

**1/2 page format recommended!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Seven: The Bell Test**

Sasuke found it unusually difficult to drag himself out of bed the next morning. Collective thoughts of the past night's festivities danced through his mind, despite halfhearted attempts to dispose of them. He buried his head into the pillows diagonal to his position, a familiar scent filled his nostrils as he took a deep breath in. "Mm," he mumbled lazily to himself, he recognized this Sakura; her warm scent of cherry blossom in the springtime. The aroma still coated the pillow from her stay just two nights ago. Along with the familiar scent came irrepressible memories of the pink haired girl. His thoughts flashed back to the way she had looked that night.

He really hadn't wanted to go. His piqued comments of disapproval and a coated discomfort had ensued on the way to the festival, which were simply combated with Naruto's stern yet playful fists. All he could think about was finding a way out of it as he strode through the crowd- until he saw her. Something about seeing Sakura looking the way she did made Sasuke think, reconsider. Did he really not want to be there, or was he simply having a hard time adjusting? Truly, he wasn't sure. But Sakura, she had something to do with it. He couldn't help but picture the way she looked that night. Her smile, the way she congenially greeted everyone with such warmth and a modest excitement. Her hair, how it swept gently past her feminine features in the cool breeze that seemed to appear from nowhere. And those eyes, the way she looked at him beneath the moonlight; how it made him uneasy yet eager; the way they gleamed with sheer benevolence and a hint of something else. What else? Hell if he knew. He just couldn't read her the way he used to, or the way he did others.

Shaking the warm thoughts from his mind, he took a deep breath and flung the covers away from his body. "That's enough," he said to himself, rubbing his eyes as he sat tiredly on the edge of his bed.

The simplicity of his upcoming day was almost depressing. It was his last D-rank mission thanks to some strings pulled by none other than Uzumaki Naruto, but it would also be his last actual task for the day. Perched atop a building as his eyes searched lazily through the streets for the requested brown puppy with an injured ear, Sasuke tried to think up things to occupy his time. "_I could actually make dinner for once,_" he proposed, "_that should take some time._" He sighed at the thought, he had never cared much for cooking, nor did he care much for time wasting. Oh how he hated his new found down time.

"Sasuke!"

Turning his gaze to the kunoichi down below, Sasuke couldn't ignore the spark he felt ignited in himself at the sudden human interaction. But it wasn't just any human interaction. He didn't resist and held a hand up nonchalantly in greeting; it felt so odd, to feel contented at the sight of another human being. Swiftly, he flickered from atop the building to standing beside her. Obviously startled by his speed, Sakura pivoted between spots and looked at him with an annoyed pout.

"Haven't you ever heard of stairs? Or maybe just anything other than impossibly fast movements. It's overwhelming, you know," she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"I don't like wasting time," he explained with a smirk, amused at her reaction.

He felt her eyes flicker over his face as he turned to look down the road, noticing the crimson that pooled in her cheeks. He snorted.

"What?" the kunoichi inquired.

He shook his head, "Nothing, now what is it that you wanted?"

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, suddenly remembering why she was there, "Hokage-sama has reinstated you officially as a member of Team Seven."

"Hmm," he chuckled smugly to himself, it was only a matter of time before old lady Hokage would decide to loosen his leash. "That it?"

"No," she said, trailing away from him, "Training starts now."

* * *

Sakura would be lying if she said she wasn't excited for Sasuke to be back on the team. Hell, if he wasn't then she would hardly have any excuse to spend time with him now that his eyes were almost entirely healed. Walking beside him now, she peered at him from the corner of her eye. An air of disappointment came along with Sasuke being reinstated, Sakura would no longer have the opportunity to see if he would have taken the initiative to see her. But then again, this could've saved her from the pain of when he _didn't_ take the initiative to see her. Whether he wanted to spend time with her or not, now he would have to. And that was fine with her.

Kakashi lounged very nostalgically in one of the trees, his eyes buried in his favorite adult novel. Sakura smiled, times like this made her forget about all of the awful things that were going on. Naruto and Sai sat in the middle of the training ground, the blonde jinchuriki seemed to be hard at work on something, his eyes glued to a scroll in front of him. "There!" she heard him shout as he lifted Sai's quill from the parchment. A deformed, leaking mouse-looking thing stumbled off of the paper just to erupt into an inky splash as it hit the ground.

"Hmm," Sai sounded, "I guess you're even terrible at drawing. Perhaps you need a dick for this too, hmm?"

Sakura interfered as Naruto raised a fist to the unaware ex-Root member. "I see you boys are getting along swimmingly without me."

"As always," Kakashi remarked, lowering himself from the tree that he had so comfortably been seated in. He pocketed his orange book and looked around at the teens. "You know, it's interesting looking at you all now, after all that's happened."

All eyes suddenly fell on the dark haired Uchiha standing a few paces behind Sakura, who simply scoffed at the sudden attention that was cast his way. Sakura chuckled, avoiding any more thoughts towards Kakashi's words, _'after all that's happened._' And so much really had happened.

"Welp," Kakashi continued, "no matter. I think it's about time we have a little recap of something I call," he opened his hand to expose three jingling bells, "teamwork."

All four teens stood lined in front of the three memorable wooden posts. Their former sensei stood before them, not looking a day older than the day that they had first encountered the infamous bell test. Something about this felt different from the first two tests to Sakura. Everyone was older, more experienced. Some could even argue that one if not two members of Team Seven had even surpassed Hatake Kakashi, the renowned copy cat ninja. Sakura eyed her teammates from her peripherals. Naruto looked as ready and as anxious as eve. Sai maintained the same pleasant yet uninterested expression, it was his first bell test, but Sakura couldn't fathom what sort of tests Danzo had his Root members endure. Sasuke looked as bored and indifferent as ever, but Sakura had a feeling that things were about to get interesting.

"Well, traitor," Sai peered past Sakura, addressing Sasuke, "you and I might be at the bottom of this bunch. Judging by your entirely self-centered tendencies."

Sasuke glowered at grey boy, "Piss off."

Kakashi held the bells out in front of him, "I don't really need to do a recap of the objective of this test, do I?"

"No! Can we just start?! The anxiety is killing me, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted.

Kakashi chucked, "As you wish," and he lowered his mask to expose the sharingan.

Sasuke snorted.

In a flash of orange, black, red, and white, the young shinobi came at the the grey-headed ninja with their all. Shuriken flew in streaks of reflected sunlight only to be blocked by uncovered kunai. A barrage of shining stars and metallic clinks, almost too quick to be noticeable. Sakura couldn't help but be shocked at how well Kakashi still held up, even against four fairly skilled shinobi.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed as an explosion of orange and black flew past them.

Sakura sighed at the extremely typical move. Sasuke leaped over the head of a clone, facing Kakashi head on with a fire jutsu, the ball of flame poured out of his mouth in a tidal wave of heat. Sakura squinted from the tree she was stooped in, "Damn, Sasuke." The Kakashi clone dissipated, leaving everyone slightly baffled.

"When did he even have time to _make_ a clone?!" Naruto cried, completely exasperated.

Sasuke smirked to himself, "I guess we're not at kiddie level anymore."

Closing her eyes, Sakura searched the area around her for the familiar chakra signature of the stealthy grey-haired nin. Most ninja couldn't mask their chakra so easily.

"There!" she said to herself, pouncing from the tree in the direction of the chakra signature. Flying past her comrades with ridiculous speed, she raised a heavy fist and propelled it into the ground, "_SHANNARO!_"

Her comrades grunted against the brute force that crumbled the ground beneath their feet like eggshell. The signature stumbled and attempted to flee, but the kunoichi was much too quick. Kakashi raised himself from the ground and looked at his belt; a bell short. He chuckled at the sight before him. Sakura smiled smugly, a single bell dangled from her finger with a victorious jingle. "Kudos," the copy nin remarked, before dashing away at the sight of the three remaining ninjas flying towards him.

The battle for the bells lasted no more than several hours, much shorter than its predecessors. Naruto placed second, oddly enough. The goofy jinchuuriki managed to distract his expert sensei with the a quick rasengan, which Kakashi was sure to dodge. Much to the blonde boy's fortune, he fell for the decoy rasengan as Naruto managed to snatch a bell. "Hmm," Kakashi had said, "my sensei's son after all."

And then there were two. Sakura didn't spot Sasuke at any moment, his speed was more than notable, it was borderline legendary. She wondered if this was similar to what people felt when they watched Naruto's father, the Yellow Flash. The mere notion gave her chills, but it was unlikely that the two were comparable.

"Have you seen any of them?" Naruto inquired.

She simply shrugged, "I doubt any of them have seen _each other_."

The sun sank lower and lower in the sky until it was a deep shade of orange. Naruto yawned and leaned back, "They better hurry it up- whoa!" From the trees above were they laid, the _whoosh_ of an inky dragon flew past them, accompanied by two blurs and the crackle of electricity.

"Now, Sai!" Sakura heard the raven-haired Uchiha command.

"Hai!" Sai responded dutifully, and the lightning charged creation went crashing into the bushes.

Sakura and Naruto ran anxiously to the sight of the inky explosion. The sight before them was quite bewildering. Against the tree, with a kunai to the throat sat their beloved sensei, an defeated look in his weary eye. He held his hands up, recognizing his loss as the last bell sat in the palm of Sai's hand.

"So the dragon was yet another diversion?" Kakashi inquired.

"Indeed it was," Sai informed, "Traitor-kun's idea." His eyes crinkled kindly.

Sasuke snorted, helping Kakashi from the ground.

"Working with others, are we, Sasuke?" Kakashi pat his troubled student on the back.

"Way to go, Teme!" Naruto congratulated the arrogant boy, "And you too, Sai!"

"Why thank you, Dickless," Sai said with a slight bow.

Sakura ambled over to the Uchiha, who looked away, he was preparing to be annoyed at her words; she recognized that face.

"Traitor-kun, hmm?" she giggled, poking him playfully.

"Hmph," he grunted, "the purpose behind it all _is_ teamwork, _Sakura._"

She simply smiled, no longer feeling stupid when he said her name like that.

"You're right," she said.

Turning away from him, she began her walk home, only to soon be accompanied by the arrogant boy that had stolen her heart so long ago.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Hn."


	8. More Than Small Talk

**A/N: I whipped this puppy up pretty quickly, I hope it's not disappointing. Reviews make my day. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eight: More Than Small Talk**

The sound of food sizzling on the stove and noisy conversation filled Uchiha Sasuke's modest apartment. The brooding boy couldn't remember inviting anyone over to dinner, his treat, though at the same time he hardly had the energy to argue; and despite not admitting it, he secretly enjoyed the buzz of life that filled his temporary home. While Sakura whipped up some sort of curry- he didn't care enough to ask- the males of Team Seven lounged in the living room, putting an old deck of cards to use. Sasuke sunk into his couch, his set of cards rested against his chest, as he tried to drown out the sound of Naruto's raspy one-sided bickering with Sai over one of the arbitrary rules of their arbitrary game. Luckily, Kakashi was patient enough to play mediator. Patience, a virtue Sasuke knew he would never truly possess.

The spicy aroma of curry drifted past Sasuke's nose, a ruthless tease to his empty belly. Suddenly, he remembered the mere tomato he had managed to eat that day; he sighed at his negligence. He officially had no right to scold Sakura over her lack of sleep. With yet another sigh, he shifted in his seat in an attempt to comfort his growling stomach. As their slow game of cards came to another Naruto fueled halt, Sakura came in with a tray full of food.

"None of you are allowed to criticize my cooking," she declared, passing each their plate, "it's my first time actually making it."

"I'm sure it's fine,"Kakashi said with a grateful smile. Sakura smiled back, thankful.

"Yeah," Sai agreed, "I mean, ugly girls have to be good at something, don't they? This can go along with your medical skills and masculine strength, hmm?"

Sakura simply sighed at the boy. Sasuke threw a quick sideways glance as the girl took a seat between the dobe and himself.

"Itadakimasu!" they all said in unison, digging into their share of curry.

The meal was quite agreeable, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel a bit melancholy as it reminded him of something his mother used to cook. Even so, it wasn't a total downer, seeing as how his hunger was no longer an issue. The group continued to sit and chat, though it all sounded like nothingness to the Uchiha's ears. Small talk and polite conversation were two things that he had yet to become accustomed to once again. Even so, thinking back to his time alone- accompanied by nothing but the sound of time moving past him- he found the sound of conversation to be more than comforting.

As it grew later and later, his company began to drop like tired, overworked shinobi flies; not to his chagrin. Kakashi, of course, who was one of Tsunade's most cherished, unofficial diplomats, had a mission the next day. Sai had to, well- whatever Sai did in his spare time. Oh, right, ANBU stuff. Sasuke always seemed to forget that about him somehow, nothing about Sai made him _seem_ like one of the Elders' little pets. Lastly were Naruto and Sakura.

Naruto lay sprawled out across the hardwood floor where the coffee table usually sat, in front of the couch. (He had set it aside for his own comfort, of course.)

"Why not just sit in a chair, Naruto?" Sakura said to the blonde in a borderline motherly tone.

"The floor is cool," he insisted, his cheek pressed against the wood, "and it's hot in here."

"If you say so," she replied, getting up from the couch, "I suppose neither of you want to help me with the dishes?"

Sasuke cast a look over his shoulder from the couch, "You don't have to do that."

"I know," she assured, turning on the faucet.

Naruto yawned, overturning to stretch out his limbs, "I should probably be going, I promised Konohamaru that I would train with him tomorrow."

"But _we_ have training tomorrow, you don't think you're over working yourself?" Sakura inquired. Sasuke snorted to himself, why did she care so much about everything? He would never understand.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, slinging his jacket over a shoulder on his way to the door, "you worry waaaay too much." Wow, Sasuke thought, even the dobe sees it. "I'll see you guys tomorrow, don't get too frisky without me!" Before Sakura could manage to scold him, the door was shut and he was gone.

Sasuke made his way into the kitchen with a few extra dishes. Sakura was already hard at work on the other load. He was certain that she had already begun to clean those that weren't even from dinner that evening. A vexed wrinkle grew between his eyebrows, but he was quick to ease it; the poor girl couldn't resist fussing over something, and so he would just let her.

"It's really not necessary," Sasuke said again, placing the plates into the warm soapy water.

Sakura simply shot the noble-blooded boy a look, as if he didn't realize how stubborn she was. He shrugged and began to walk away, but something about it didn't feel right. He sighed heavily. A voice from his past rang in his mind. "Sasuke," the memory called, "even little shinobi have to clean up after themselves." He sighed as a familiar pain hit his chest. A wave of obligation came over him. Sasuke couldn't just watch as someone else cleaned his dirty dishes.

"Scoot over," he said, taking a dirty plate for himself.

A pleasant smile spread across her face, she appreciated his help. "Did you enjoy the food?" she inquired.

He shrugged, "Nice to have something cooked." It sounded more kind than he had intended.

"I'm sure. I only ever see you eating those damn tomatoes around here," she jeered.

"Hmph," he sounded, as if to roll his eyes.

"You should cook more often."

"Would if I could."

"You can't?"

He stifled a scowl at her amused tone, "Never really had anyone to teach me, I guess."

The silence quickly grew in the space between them, he felt Sakura's heartbeat quicken beside him. Redness flushed to her cheeks, she put the plate in her hand down as she gripped the edge of the sink.

"It was stupid of me to bring it up," she said quietly, her eyes cast downward.

"Not entirely," he replied, coolly, his eyes gazing at her sideways.

She continued to blush idiotically, but returned to her plate scrubbing. The quiet resumed between them, aside from the rush of running water. Sasuke was partially grateful. He felt a fraction of guilt, having not really meant to make Sakura feel foolish. Embarrassed Sakura was not something he enjoyed, if his memory served him right- she stuttered, blushed, and beat herself up; it was truly pitiful He noticed the pink beginning to fade from her cheeks. She threw him curious glances, her gaze still cast downward. Sasuke snorted at her bashfulness.

"What is it, Sakura?"

"Nothing, I just-" she took a moment to compose her thoughts, he ascertained from her silence and obviously contemplative face, "What was she like?"

He furrowed an eyebrow at the vague question, "What was _who_ like?"

She stalled, he threw his intense gaze at her and she was forced to spit it out, "Your mother."

Sasuke's hands stiffened at the mere thought, the plate in his hands crumbled into shards which he discarded of without another word. Eyes that were all too warm and familiar for his liking filled his mind, they stared back at him with such love; he couldn't handle it. His eyebrows pulled together even further, he closed his eyes in frustration and reached for another plate. From the corner of his eye, he noticed she was trembling.

"I-," she tried to say, "I'm so-"

"She was the most beautiful person that I've ever known," Sasuke piped up. Ceasing his dishwashing, he stared off into nothingness; Sakura was also still. "I look like her," he went on, "so did my brother," he winced a bit.

"I know," she nearly squeaked with the weakness in her voice, "I saw the picture on your nightstand."

Sasuke felt a smile coming on, but it was quickly overcome by another thought. "You know," he began, "sometimes I wonder if I would've done all of this if she had lived," he shook his head in the slightest, "I don't think I would have. If," he stalled, "if they just would have left me _her_, I feel like I wouldn't be so hopeless."_ All I needed was my mother, and they took her. To hell with the rest of the damned clan, if my mother had lived- everything would've been fine._

Sakura stood frozen next to him, and suddenly she said, "I think you're right."

He smashed a fist into the countertop, a crater erupted beneath his fist. Yet Sakura did not move. "Goddamn it, Sakura," he shuddered, his tone had grown bitter, angry, "was this all for nothing? Everything I did, for hate, for revenge. What was it for? I tried to destroy what Itachi tried so hard to protect; and what I did to him, after all that he had done for me? God, I wasted all of that time, for what? To get _stronger_?" He scoffed heavily at the thought and gripped the edge of the sink, his head sunk between his arms. "I left this place, I betrayed it, only to come back. You all have _so_ much and you've built _so_ much, but me," he chuckled bitterly, "what do I have? Hmm? Sakura, what do _I _have?" He turned on her.

Furious red orbs stared into endless viridian, still and stern. She was completely composed, even as his desperate hands grasped tightly at her shoulders; almost shaking. Taking hold of his hands reassuringly, she placed them back at his sides.

"You have us."

He felt his gaze steady, his pupils grew less tremulous and the shaking in his hands ceased. Sakura removed her hands from his arms and continued to hold his gaze. With a short, gentle swipe across his face, she moved his hair away. Red faded back to black.

Once they finished the last of the dirty dishes, they sat on the couch for awhile and listened to the stillness of the space around them. Occasionally, Sakura would say something of no importance. Sasuke had said enough for his lifetime, he had decided that no conversation was the best route to go at this point. He was thankful that Sakura continued to sit with him as though he hadn't said a word the entire evening.

They leaned against each other as they sat slumped into the couch, the light of the lamp dim over their faces. Sakura pulled the blanket up to her chin, Sasuke readjusted his portion. He hated it when she did that.

"Sasuke," she said to the nearly unconscious nin, he didn't respond. "Sasuke-kun."

Peeping a sleepy eye open at the sound of endearment, he grunted, "Hmm?"

She smiled, deliriously sleepy, "I like when you talk to me like I'm a human being."

Unaware, he chuckled at her statement, "Sakura."

"Hmm?"

"Shut up." His drowsy head dropped onto her shoulder.

The two sleepy teens burrowed further into the blanket, arm in arm; they slipped into sleep.


	9. The Secret Mission

**A/N: I feel quite proud of this chapter, though it is a bit different from what I usually write. I hope you all enjoy it nonetheless. Btw, thank you for your continued readership, your support is more than I could ever ask for. **

**P.S. I strongly suggest the 1/2 page format thingy.**

**Reviews make my world go 'round. 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Nine: The Secret Mission**

From across the darkness of the room, Sakura spotted the ANBU mask staring back at her. She leaned up from the couch, carefully. Sasuke was still in a deep sleep at her side, she pulled her arm from his hold.

"What is it, Sai?" she questioned the masked ANBU operative in a hushed tone, recognizing her friend's usual undercover attire.

"It is imperative that we set off now, Hokage-sama has sent us off on call of a disturbance on the outskirts of Fire territory. I have already collected your uniform," he responded.

"How bad is it?" she asked, glancing back down at a sleeping Sasuke, the professionalism emerging in her tone.

"There have been a considerable number of casualties, you are needed," Sai asserted, "We really must go, Sakura."

Her features pulled into a worrisome expression as she gazed at the unconscious boy that she would be leaving behind without explanation. It felt wrong.

"You can explain yourself when you get back," Sai coaxed, noticing her longing glances toward the sleeping Uchiha, "These are the sacrifices we make as shinobi, Sakura."

She nodded, "Hai." Why couldn't she shake this feeling?

Sakura followed as Sai climbed out of the window. Casting a single gaze back at her dear friend, she muttered a subtle, "I'm sorry to be on the leaving end, Sasuke-kun."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke awoke the following day to a sore back and a crick in his neck. Sprawled out over the couch, he gazed around the room. Somehow, he half-expected to wake up to the smell of breakfast on the stove, or at least a familiar scent of cherry blossom at his side. When he found both welcome scents to be completely absent, the teen couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Nevertheless, he had things to do. With a restless stretch, Sasuke rose from the couch. Feeling the breeze hit his face, he closed his eyes in the hopes of a relaxed moment. Wait- a breeze?

Alarmed, Sasuke shot up and over to the window. He searched out and around the open window, a little more than confused and a little less than agitated. "Sakura must've used the window to leave for work this morning," he said to himself, shaking his head, the inconsiderate wench. Windows shouldn't just be left open in times such as these.

His day wouldn't consist of much, but he decided to make something out of nothing. Remembering that Naruto was supposed to be training with Konohamaru, Sasuke trekked out to their usual training ground out of boredom. Upon arrival, he was surprised to see the very bored Sarutobi boy simply practicing shuriken throwing. Annoyed, dark eyes cast a glance his way and then back to the shuriken targets. Sasuke perched in one of the trees marked with a target.

"Hey, Sasuke-teme," Konohamaru greeted, if you could call that a greeting. Apparently he had picked up more than Naruto's relentless attitude over the years.

Sasuke simply gave a nonchalant nod to the younger boy, his eyes hadn't stopped searching the area around for his spiky-headed friend. "Where is Naruto?"

"Pff," Konohamaru sounded, the clunk of another shuriken hitting the bullseye, "Beats me. Probably ditched me for Hinata-san or something."

"Hmm," Sasuke said to himself. Naruto did in fact enjoy slacking off from obligations, but would never go back on a promise to someone. Sasuke knew that _all_ too well. And Naruto _had_ mentioned promising to train with the young Sarutobi. Sasuke considered the young boy's words and replied, "Not likely."

As Sasuke stood to make his leave he heard, "Oi, Uchiha." He turned to the boy on the ground, slightly annoyed by the usage of his surname.

"Would you mind-" Konohamaru kicked at the dirt, obviously disappointed by Naruto's absence, "would you mind, maybe, practicing with me for a bit?"

"Hmph," Sasuke smirked to himself. He didn't have much patience for adolescents, but Sarutobi Konohamaru wasn't just any adolescent. In more ways than one, Konohamaru knew a pain similar to that of Sasuke's. Konohamaru had lost all of those that he loved. He was from a great family, and great things were expected of him. The boy knew pain, and this would make him strong. Sasuke recognized the look in his eye.

He sighed, closing his eyes, "Fine," he replied.

Konohamaru went to collect his shuriken before Sasuke interrupted, "But wait."

The younger boy turned to the dark haired Uchiha whose face was cast in shadows. Crimson orbs emerged from the darkness and Sasuke continued, "I assure you training with me is _not_ like it is with the dobe."

The young Sarutobi smirked in the face of a promising challenge.

* * *

Training with Konohamaru proved to be quite rewarding. Sasuke had never actually seen Asuma's great Ash Pile Burning technique. The younger Sarutobi seemed to have have it down at a considerable level, actually. However, Sasuke was now feeling quite burnt out. Pun intended.

Having run into Juugo and Suigetsu, he decided that it wouldn't be so terrible to have an outing for old time's sake. The three distracting looking boys filed into the nearest barbecue place, at Suigetsu's request. Sasuke was not actually feeling all that hungry and just sat as his two former teammates conversed. Juugo dug into his spring rolls, the only meatless thing they served at a barbecue place, apparently. Suigetsu chomped away at strips of beef.

Juugo sighed, "The poor cow..."

"Oi," Suigetsu suddenly said, not seeming to notice his large friend's sympathy, "hottie with baggage at two o'clock."

Sasuke sighed at the pair that Suigetsu had pointed out.

Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji waved congenially to their comrade.

"Oi, Sasuke! You're not on the mission?" Choji inquired, receiving a jab to the gut from his piqued, blonde friend.

"Baka!" she scolded in a hushed tone, "We're not supposed to talk about that stuff!"

Choji lowered his gaze, "I forgot!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior of the odd pair, "What mission?" Now that he thought about it, it was strange that the third and most intelligent piece of Ino-Shika-Cho was nowhere in sight.

Ino sighed, "We really can't say anymore."

Sasuke considered this for a moment, things were being purposely being hidden from him. Why? Ino and Choji knew about this mission, more than likely because Shikamaru had been sent on it. And why had Choji assumed he was on aforementioned mission?

"Choji," Sasuke said to the robust teen in his typically stoic voice, "Are Naruto and Sakura on this mission?"

Choji averted his eyes, his heart began to beat quickly.

"Akimichi," Sasuke sounded, his eyes crimson and intimidating, "You can't lie to my eyes."

Ino shot her teammate a look, "Choji, don't give in to-"

"Yes!" Choji cracked, "They're on the mission."

"Hmm," Sasuke sounded, pleased that his fib about his 'all-seeing' eyes was enough to get the truth from the gullible boy.

Sasuke left the barbecue place without another word, he was certain that Juugo and Suigetsu were accustomed to such behavior from him anyhow. It was getting late, and he was determined to find out why things were being hidden from him.

* * *

Storming into the Hokage's office, Sasuke stood before her with suspicious eyes. Tsunade lifted her eyes from the papers she held, frowning at his boldness.

"You know," she mused, "I should really have harsher repercussions for behavior like this from you subordinates. What is it with teenagers these days?"

Sasuke was unamused. "Care to explain why I was the only member of Team Seven not to be sent on or even told about this mission that the others are on?"

"Tch," she rolled her eyes. Such a blasé leader, he would never understand how such an attitude would have been appointed to the executive position. "First of all, teams are technically obsolete now that you're all higher ranking ninja. And second, you are in no position to be barging in here demanding information on a mission as confidential as this one.

"Confidential," he reiterated, "Confidential enough for all of the other _teams_ to be made aware of the circumstances surrounding their teammates absences?"

There was silence. Brown glared into black, a stare down between challenging eyes. The blonde raised an eyebrow at the unwavering determination in the raven haired Uchiha's narrow black orbs. She huffed.

"Oh fine," she gave up, "I didn't tell you specifically for reasons that the Elders and I decided upon."

He flinched at the mere mention of their names, "Why the hell not?"

She folded her arms, "You know as well as I do that I cannot and will not tell you that."

"Tch," he turned his gaze from her and began to make his exit. The door burst open before him, causing him to jolt backwards. It was Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama," she cried, a panic in her eyes. Suddenly, she noticed the male to her right and stalled. Her nervous gaze fell to the ground and then back up to the Hokage. Sasuke's suspicious gaze fell upon the brunette.

"Shizune," Tsunade finally said, as if she already knew, "just tell me."

The brunette took a breath, looking back and forth between the Hokage and Sasuke once more, "It's Sakura..."

* * *

_What is this numbness? I, I can't move my legs, or my arms. Actually, I don't think I can move anything. My chakra, it feels so still. That can't be good, yet I don't feel as though I have the strength to do anything about it. Am I alone?_

_Kakashi-sensei?_

_Sai?_

_Naruto?_

_Oh, I can't see anything. But I hear you, Naruto. Stop screaming, please. I need to lie down. Hmm. I might already be lying down. Where am I? I hear other voices, they all sound so worried. I should say something, but somehow I cannot. I smell something. Not just blood, my blood. There's something else. It smells nice, really. Could it be you?_

_Sasuke?_

_Something feels wrong. I think I need to go home._


	10. Save Me

**A/N: Guys, I can't even begin to describe how much your patience is appreciated. I'm so thankful to all of you. My life has been quite hectic as of late, but I don't expect the next chapter to take as long. Sorry for the wait. /3**

**Reviews make my world go 'round.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Ten: Save Me**

Amongst the whirr of ninjutsu and the hiss of serpents, Sakura kneeled in the shadows; wishing in that moment that she was a genius strategist like Shikaku or Shikamaru. Kakashi, having experienced quite a blow, was sprawled across her back- nearly unconscious. Setting her injured sensei down, she looked into his tired eyes.

"Where is Naruto?" he gruffly inquired, weak.

A flash of yellow, orange, and black appeared beside them. The blonde jinchuuriki was hardly injured, sporting a few scratches here and there, but Sakura could sense that his tenketsu had been manipulated. His chakra flow was not normal.

"I'm here, but Sai and the others can't hold him off alone," he said, turning to the pinkette beside him.

Sakura looked into the depths of Naruto's earnest eyes, a look she knew all too well yet saw so infrequently. She rested her hands on Kakashi's chest, healing him as much as she could. Things weren't looking good, and she was definitely needed; that much was clear. Closing her eyes in contemplation, she considered every detail that came to her mind. If something were to happen to her and others got hurt, it would be no fault but her own and her fallacious decision. There would be no one to save them. Still, she had to try. Shaking, fearful of the possibilities, she felt a hand grab her wrist. She opened her eyes, Kakashi stared back at her; a calm urgency encompassed his eyes.

"Sakura," he breathed, resting his hand on her shoulder, "show them." Sakura shook, emotions filling her small form, she touched that his hand; determination replaced the fear in her eyes. Kakashi gave a slight nod, "Show them what you can do."

"Hai," she closed her eyes, forcing back her tears, "Kaka-sensei."

From the shadows of the forest, Haruno Sakura emerged. Sai soared above, attempting to take out the source of the overflowing serpents that attacked the team of ANBU. She slipped on her gloves, a staunchness swelling within her as she faced the cloaked foe head on. Suddenly, the white snakes retracted, she had caught his eye.

"KABUTO!"

Sakura called out to the serpentine nin, who greeted her presence with a sly grin. Pulling his sleeves back, a gleam of excitement in the medic nin's eyes as he stared at the cherry blossom of a girl before him.

"Don't fool yourself, _Sakura-chan_," Kabuto called out, amused, "this is a big boy's game." And within a split second, snakes flooded from his sleaves, out toward Sai. She felt Naruto's chakra, he would try to stop her. She had to be quick.

"CHAAAA!" Sakura roared as she propelled herself into the intersection of attack, slicing through the serpents' necks with her blazing chakra blades.

Flying through the air, she caught herself before hitting the ground. She raised her flaming emeralds to her foe, "_I_ am your opponent!"

And with her final statement, she strode toward the snakelike man with incredible speed. Kabuto is not stupid, however, and manages to anticipate her attacks. Each disable poison senbon after poison senbon; though it may come as a surprise, medical ninjas fight callously in order to protect what they cherish. And Sakura was _not_ going to let this snakey bastard lay a finger on her boys. Luckily, years of working from behind the scenes has made the gray haired medic rusty, and Sakura is quicker than him. Landing a successful punch to his scaly face, Sakura has a millisecond of celebration before she jams a fist into the earth. As the loose dirt clears from her view, Sakura is glad to see her plan has worked. Kabuto lies limp, trapped in the cracked Earth, blood seeping from his mouth. Catching her breath, she begins to falls over- fortunately, into the arms of none other then Sai, who was finally able to come down.

"Sakura, are you all right?" Sai asks, helping her to stand. She nods.

Naruto joins his two friends in their relieved moment. Suddenly, a grumble of laughter erupts from the pile of destroyed earth. Alarmed, all three direct their attention to the seemingly defeated foe. His fit of laughter ensues, eyes wide in both amusement and a hint of madness.

"Fools," he exclaims as his crushed arms dissipate into mere serpents as he forms a seal with his actual appendages. It is too late for any of them to act as his blood stains the earth, marks of summoning spread quickly.

"Shit," Naruto curses as he watches in astonishment.

"Ditto," Sakura thought, despite the seriousness of the situation.

All stepped back as a large object burst from the ground. Sakura frowned, was that...a coffin?

And with a gesture from Kabuto, the lid crashed into the crumbled ground. The three Konoha shinobi remaining stared into the dark depths of the sarcophagus, in complete awe. Within the utter blackness, emerged two red orbs of sheer darkness. Could it be...?

By the time she realized anything, it was too late; to notice the mysterious figure, or the purple liquid that seeped into her bloodstream as she stood. She hit the ground, hearing a devastated, "SAKURA!" as she did.

"Move back!" Tsunade nearly barked at the lesser medics.

Sasuke watched as she pressed her skilled hands to Sakura's chest, shallow breaths escaped her the girl's unmoving mouth. "Sakura," he whispered, the disbelief evident in his voice as he stared at the nearly broken kunoichi on the table. Her pink hair was dirtied with the casualties of war and earth. The ivory of her tone had become sallow; the plush pink of her lips was just as drained. The annoying glow that she had about her, it was just- extinguished. Sasuke stole a glance at Naruto's face as it mixed with horror and uncontrollable anger. The way everyone was looking at her, like she was gone. Like she was a lost cause. It made Sasuke's fists clench in fury. He saw it in her eyes, which even now stared at him with such implication. She was there. He saw her.

Tsunade found Kabuto's poison in her bloodstream, and it had spread quite a bit. Naruto had ascertained that Sakura must have come in contact with it during her battle with Orochimaru's former right hand. Sasuke shook his head bitterly at the thought of the grey-haired nin; he should've gotten rid of that rat when he had the chance.

Hokage-sama soon saw that drastic measures needed to be taken at this point. She gathered her pupil in her arms, like a mother might her dying child. Sasuke looked into the depths of her determined eyes before she departed into the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.

"Save her," he said.

With a single nod, the blonde sannin disappeared with a flicker down the hallway. As Naruto made a move as to follow her, Sasuke grabbed his friend by the arm. The blonde sage turned a cheek to his friend.

"Try to stop me and I'll take you down, Sasuke," he growled.

Sasuke kept his composure, mustering a simple yet eloquent, "Naruto, you've done all that you can do."

With understanding but no less hurt in his expression, Naruto departed onto the other wing of the hospital. Presumably to where Kakashi was being cared for, their sensei was also in quite decrepit state. Sasuke sighed at himself as he stood there, alone once again.

Over and over, he began to go over the scenarios of Sakura's predicament had he been there. Maybe there wouldn't have been so many shinobi lost. Maybe he would've been able to take down Kabuto like he should have done long ago; saving everyone from war and sparing Sakura the trouble of combat. Not to mention, protecting her like he had done what seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I wasn't there to protect you this time," he said to himself, staring emptily into the sign of the ICU.

And for the first time in his life Sasuke was forced to consider what his life would be like if he were to let her die. As it turned out, it was no life at all.

Nearly regretting the words he had given to Naruto, Sasuke crossed into the ICU. He couldn't just stand around.

It had been three days since Tsunade-sama had extracted the poison from Sakura's bloodstream. Appearance wise, the _sakura_ haired girl was on the upturn. Still, that didn't matter, for she hadn't even opened her eyes. Tsunade was familiar with the poison, fortunately enough. It had been used on a number of shinobi in order to knock out their consciousness to be taken as pawns, but not kill them. Still, it wasn't definite how long Sakura would be out for.

Sasuke sat perched on the window sill of the dreary hospital room, the unconscious girl just a few paces away in her bed. Naruto sat at her bedside, unsuccessfully attempting to thread a needle, Sakura's clothing splayed out over the bed. Sasuke snorted at the poor dobe, he had been quite glum lately for obvious reasons. Sasuke watched as he flitted between Sakura's room and Kakashi's, not to mention the hand he lent to numerous others in need. In a way, Sasuke envied his friend's unwavering kindness and devotion to others. Nevertheless, the more he looked at Sakura, the more he understood Naruto's bonds with others; the way he would never give up on them for anything.

Naruto huffed as he stabbed his finger once again, "Damn it."

A small chuckle escaped Sasuke's throat, "What is it you're trying to do?" A bit more emphasis on the 'trying' than Naruto would have liked, Sasuke ascertained from the look on his face.

"Sakura's shirt was all roughed up from- you know. So I'm sewing up the gash in the side," he explained, not lifting his steely gaze from the needle and thread. Once again, a stab to the finger.

Sighing, Sasuke stepped down from the window and the calming breeze that blew through it. Taking the needle from the clumsy aspiring Hokage, Sasuke held the supplies close to his eyes. Activating his sharingan, he concentrated on the menial task at hand. In a matter of about a second, Sasuke dropped the threaded needle in the palm of Naruto's hand. With a childish pout, Naruto went to work, "Thanks, teme."

Perhaps Sasuke could do nice things for others, too.

As sunrise filled the hospital room on the sixth day, Sasuke felt a tug on his collar. He shrugged it off. It wasn't entirely outlandish for him to be hallucinating from the lack of decent sleep. He hadn't really left Sakura's bedside since she'd been here. Although he missed his bed and the intoxicating rest that came with it, he knew where his obligations were. His head situated into Sakura's hip and his arms worked as cushion, Sasuke attempted to wean himself into sleep. And still, there was that tug. Only this time it was followed by stroke of his hair.

Snapping his head up, Sasuke stared into sparkling emerald. Sakura's weak hand took hold of his finger. Bewildered by the reality of it all, Sasuke searched his mind for action. He honestly didn't know how to respond.

"Sakura," he said, examining her pleasant face, "you're okay?"

She simply smiled. Of all the times she could possibly be quiet. He grew antsy.

"Is," he stalled, hoping the worst had not become a reality, "is it you in there?"

Her eyes batted placidly, the sunrise bathed her graceful features as she continued to sleepily smile at him. "Sasuke-kun."

Immediate relief washed over his body as he gazed at her, not realizing that he had begun to grip her hand in return.

"Don't look so constipated," she said wearily. He chuckled weakly.

Normally, such a comment would have been scowl-worthy, but this was different. She was back. And as Sasuke looked at her now with such solace, he was reminded of all the things he had said to himself as he considered her never waking up; never coming back to him.

Sakura's head perked as Sasuke lifted her palm to his cheek. He felt the warmth of her touch, eyes closed in silent contemplation. Pressing his lips to her palm briefly, their eyes met. Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, taking in everything. As she opened her eyes, Sasuke leaned toward her. Slowly, the distance between them closed and Sasuke placed a loving kiss on her waiting lips. Kissing her was warm, and good, and tender; just as he had thought it would be. Retracting with a meaningful yet stern look, Sasuke looked at Sakura.

"Don't you leave me alone again," he said, and buried his head in her side.


	11. Nurse Sasuke

**A/N: I may have to revise this chapter a bit, but I hope it's enjoyable nonetheless! Reviews make my world go 'round, so please be generous. ^_^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Eleven: Nurse Sasuke**

The days following Sakura's awakening were slower than what Sasuke would have hoped for. Despite being conscious, his darling yet annoying rosette was less than mindful of her surroundings and hardly capable of acting like an adult, but more so like a whiny child on pain meds. Tsunade had seen similar circumstances and concluded the adorable medic wouldn't entirely come to for another few days. And so for the time being, Sasuke was her ever so compliant babysitter.

Most of the day consisted of keeping an eye on Sakura, which wasn't as easy as he had anticipated. She was quite persistent in her loopy attempts to escape from her hospital room, which the Uchiha found cute but was quite dismayed by the toll the IV took on her arm when she tugged it out unknowingly. Not to mention her sheer lack of compliance with the nurses. Sasuke found himself on 24-hour stays at the request of Tsunade-sama, who decided it was best for her pupil's recovery. Although it was amusing enough to try to decipher Sakura's mindless babble, ease her into sleep with his sharingan, and frequently help the food make its way into her mouth- the raven-haired nin couldn't help but wonder.

Had she comprehended any of his previous professed feelings? For the time being, it didn't matter.

Sasuke awoke to a tap on the head, as he had the previous morning. Sakura's silliest moods settled in the morning, when she was most awake and he was most annoyed. Begrudgingly, he lifted his gaze to that of a childish version of the girl he held such adult feelings for. He sighed as she smuggled a giggle into her pillow, emeralds shining on his face. Sasuke let a snort escape him before he inquired, "What is it, Sakura?" The tone in his voice reminded him of that his father had used when Sasuke was a child.

"Cute," she managed to slur in an eruption of giggles as she gazed into his face, she tapped the tip of his nose playfully.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Sasuke laid his head back down on the bed, "Yes, that's very kind of you. But it's five in the morning and you need rest. Now please go back to sleep, Sakura."

Sakura's brow furrowed and her mouth formed into a pout, viridian orbs glared at him like he'd just stomped all over a flower. "Play!" she commanded in a voice he hadn't had the displeasure of hearing since he was five.

"No," he said in his fatherly voice again, "sleep."

She threw the covers off of her body roughly, Sasuke sat back in his seat and away from the bed. He absolutely hated when she did this.

"Plaaay!" she whined, kicking her feet wildly. Sasuke averted his eyes as her hospital gown began to gather at her hips the more that she kicked. From the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of smooth ivory skin in a place she'd surely murder him for ever even imagining.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke reached out and contained his tantrum fueled toddler, making sure to pull her hospital gown back down.

"Are you done?" he asked paternally, eyeing her expression as he restrained her against his chest; making sure to hold her arms down. The other day, her monstrous strength had slipped his mind in her current state, and her immature rage had sent him flying across the room with a single punch.

Sakura glared at him from the corner of her vision, her back against his chest. Her lids drooped like an inebriated bar-goer, but she was there. She settled down and back into her bed. "Mehhhhhh," she stuck her tongue out at him and turned her head over on the pillow.

"Good girl," Sasuke remarked, patting her lightly on the head.

Sasuke hadn't considered how truly difficult it would be to constantly look after a short-tempered, thoroughly confused, and immensely childlike teenaged kunoichi with a hell of a right hook. Naruto occasionally came in as back up, only to be taken advantage of by aforementioned kunoichi for a piggy back ride (which Sasuke thoroughly disapproved of but didn't hold against his pinkette due to her current state of mind.) Nevertheless, it was better than having to constantly care for her himself. The dobe had his perks.

Tsunade-sama had been oddly supportive one day upon finding an exhausted Sasuke in search of his pink-headed nin. She had escaped the confines of his arms with a single grab of his crotch that sent him crumbling to the floor as she fled with uneasy steps down the hallway. The blonde Hokage had initially laughed after stumbling upon the sight, but was more than happy to outstretch her hand.

Pulling him up from the ground, Tsunade asked, amused, "Having a rough day?"

Sasuke merely _hmph_'d in her direction, his nose tilting upwards in indignation.

"You know," Tsunade mused, "I see how much she means to you." Her gaze lifted from inspecting her painted nails to him before lowering again. She rested her back against the wall, "Although, _you_ might not see it yet."

"You _are_ all knowing, Hokage-sama," Sasuke sneered sarcastically, closing his eyes as the corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk.

"Tch," she sounded, "don't get smart with me. I never said you were deserving of Sakura, only that I see you. I see the way you look at her from atop your imaginary pedestal. She might not, but she's always been so coy." Tsunade smiled, shaking her head at the thought of her student.

Sasuke's gaze drifted over the linoleum tiles, "I don't deserve her."

"You don't," Tsunade agreed, "In all fairness, most of you grubby males don't. But you particularly do not."

"Hmph," Sasuke snorted at the ballsy woman.

"But," Tsunade sighed, "she has certainly chosen you." Sasuke's eyes lifted to meet Tsunade's, a maternal understanding dwelled within them. "She spent years waiting, searching, hoping," Tsunade said more quietly, "and now you're back. And she will never abandon her feelings for you in fear of rejection. Even if you are so undeserving of her."

Sasuke swallowed the older woman's words as his thoughts drifted to a familiar pair of warm, green eyes. The pitter patter of bare-feet sounded at the end of the hallway before his unsteady, pink-headed target appeared before them. With an "eeee!" she scrambled away again.

"Well," Sasuke said, beginning to walk away, "I'd like to think she made the right choice in being so devoted to such an undeserving bastard. But if you'll excuse me Hokage-sama, I have a very confused girl to catch."

Tsunade had just stood there smiling, pleased to see Sasuke doing the chasing for once.

As tiring as it was to play nurse, babysitter, and occasionally storyteller to a half-conscious girl, Sasuke enjoyed certain moments. More specifically, he enjoyed those moments right before she fell asleep. The childlike attributes died down, as did the drunken babble of the painkillers, and it was like being with someone after a long, tiring day of work. Her lids would droop over knowing eyes that stared at him with such affection. Occasionally, Sasuke would slip his fingers into hers and she would smile each time as if it were the first. Sakura would hum out of sheer exhaustion, and hints of delusion, her favorite song. The shadows of her features were tranquil and beautiful in the brightness of the lamp on her nightstand. Their gazes hardly left the warmth of each other's eyes in those few moments before unconsciousness. Sometimes, when the space between them grew smaller, Sasuke would simply forget everything else in the world and place a goodnight kiss on her unknowing lips. She would just smile, and close her eyes. It made him happy, and that didn't happen often.

This morning was different. Today, Sakura awoke to the boy at her bedside with a different look in her eye. Sasuke noticed it the moment she touched his face, it was more meaningful- less confused. Lifting an eyebrow, Sakura sat up, her stare not leaving his face. It now occurred to Sasuke that he might have some explaining to do.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Sakura sounded, her gaze sweeping over his features.

Her tone was noticeably clearer, despite her initial stutter. But he had to be sure. "Sakura," he began, "what did you initially begin treating me for when I came back to the village."

"Damage to the optical nerve in your left eye due to extensive use of your mangekyo sharingan, which was quite stupid on your part," she groaned.

Sasuke smirked at her, she obviously wouldn't have been able to answer that question if she were still in her drooling toddler state. But there were still things that had to be dealt with. "What exactly can you remember?"

Her eyes fell to his hand as she began to twiddle with his fingers, a watery smile on her face. "I remember some things, but not everything," emerald met onyx once more, "I hope I didn't imagine anything."

_You didn't,_ Sasuke fought the urge to say. Instead he managed a 'Hn' and left them in silence.

"More importantly," Sakura said, a serious look washing over her features, "I need to talk to Tsunade-sama."

Furrowing his brow, Sasuke's gaze perked up in curiosity, "Naruto has already spoken with her about everything, but...is there something else?"

As her gaze fell into her lap, Sakura closed her eyes. Sasuke tilted her chin up, discontented by the clear distress on her lovely face. She looked nervously into his eyes, touching the hand he held to her cheek.

"What is it, Sakura?" he pressed.

"I," Sakura searched his eyes anxiously, "I spoke with him."

Containing the urge to scoff at her assumption that he knew what she was talking about, Sasuke pressed further, "With who?"

She pulled his hand from her face and into her lap, shaking her head and averting her eyes.

"Sakura," Sasuke spoke, "look at me."

Viridian orbs lifted once more, "Itachi." She sucked in a breath, "I spoke with Itachi."

Sasuke fell cold, unknowingly backing away from her bed, out of his chair, and into the wall. Sakura's eyes followed with such concern. He shook his head, trying to balance himself.

"What did you just say?"


	12. Stay With Me

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR THE DELAY. I made this as long as I could take to make up for it. I hope you don't all hate me. Sasusaku fluff in bundles. I hope you love it.**

**1/2 page format always recommended.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Twelve: Stay With Me**

Sasuke wished for nothing more than simplicity at that very moment. He longed to rewind the day, to sink his nose into her pink petals if only for a few moments longer. He wanted to wind his fingers into hers, lay at her side, and fall asleep. More than anything else, he wished those words had never come out of her mouth. The words which had hit him like hot tea to the face, like a knife to the gut. Still, he knew it was terrible of him to flee out of her window as if running would rid him of the load that had just been dumped over his head. The green eyes that had stared after him struck him even harder in his side, opening up familiar wounds. Sasuke promised himself this would never happen again. He said he would never run away from them again; that he would never run away from_ her_ again. Everything was falling apart.

As he found himself in a familiar spot once his lungs stung with exhaustion. Beams of sun shined in through the shrouds of trees, even though the canopy was thick as branches entwined. Sasuke stooped in the middle of the area, looking around at the trees surrounding. Clearly, he could see the targets that once hung on the worn, scarred bark of each oak; mere necessities of practice, nothing challenging to hit. At least they hadn't been- for Itachi. Warm onyx scanned over the area above his head, he could still see a familiar twelve year old boy spinning about with the form and precision of a well seasoned shinobi. The clunk of kunai against targets was fresh in his mind, as was the irritation that each kunai had hit perfect bullseyes. Sasuke was half expecting his seven-year-old to come running up now, to bring his beloved Nii-san home for dinner and playtime. And they would go together. His mother would be there to welcome both of her beloved sons home with a kiss to the forehead and a sweet smile (which was only rivaled by one other in his life.) Sasuke's father would ask what they had accomplished that day, knowing Itachi had done something worth talking about and hoping Sasuke was close to catching up with his older brother. The evening would end with a short story of one of Itachi's missions before bed. It all seemed so real. But it wasn't.

They were all dead.

They were all dead, and there was no way that Itachi could suddenly just be back.

There was just no way.

And as his gaze bored into the tree in front of him, Sasuke felt his chin wrinkle as a foreign feeling sank into his chest, hot tears spilled from his eyes. The life he once had seemed so near, as if he could just reach out and save it, but nothing in his life had ever been so good. Nothing except for her.

Something had to be done.

* * *

"I don't know where he went," Sakura quietly explained, rubbing distressed lines from her forehead. This was not what she needed right now. She needed _him_. Didn't he know that?

"That teme," Naruto cursed the Uchiha, glaring out the window.

Sakura simply didn't have the energy to convince the boy that their friend had every right to be as upset as he was. A part of his past had come back to haunt him, and it was an inevitable truth that worse things were to come. She knew that much, yet a bit of resentment sank into her as well. It took everything in the girl to not jump out the window right after him, reel him back in by the shirt like one might do to a dog's collar. Sakura watched him leave, knowing he might either come back or go off and do something incredibly impulsive. Again. In some ways, it wasn't her place to stop him. Itachi was his brother. In other ways, Sakura wanted to do everything in her power to take hold of this new part of her life and hold it secure against her chest with an unwavering grasp. There was always a chance that she had read into his words far too much. "_Don't leave me alone again."_

But she felt entitled to just lose herself in the emotions that created this gaping hole in her chest. Her heart was with him always, how could he just leave?

* * *

Something was very wrong in her life right now. That much was clear. It was only amplified by the fact that no one knew where Sasuke was or where he was going. She could hear the mumbles of uncertainty and distrust outside of her hospital room as she sat there. Sakura sat there; in the same gown she had worn all day; with the same bun atop her head that a certain boy had made when he couldn't wash her hair properly; with the same expression on her face from when he left. Lost.

Naruto came to sit on her bed, a worried look on his face. He turned to look at her, and she reciprocated no matter how much she didn't want to. Once upon a time, they had sat here, with their roles reversed. A part of her wanted to just smile and say, "Isn't it ironic?" But that might have been a little distasteful even for Naruto, who hardly knew the definition of "limits." All she could think to do now was place a reassuring hand on his shoulder before his thoughts ran wild.

"You didn't tell me you'd gotten trapped in his genjustsu," Naruto spoke.

Sakura sighed. She hadn't wanted to tell anyone about what Itachi had spoken to her about, but now it seemed she would have to. "No, but now seems like a good time to mention it, hmm?"

A corner of his mouth lifted in a watery smile, "You know, it happened to me once, too."

Her eyes widened slightly, "I didn't know that."

He nodded, "But that was before Sasuke, you know," _killed him_, Naruto's eyes added. Sakura nodded in understanding. "He didn't force a crow down your throat, did he?" Naruto lightly asked, head tilted in curiosity.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. He was completely serious. "No, he didn't."

"Looks like Sasuke isn't the only bastard in his family," Naruto shook his head with a smile at the memory, "I've never looked at a crow quite the same since then."

Sakura gave a weak trace of a chuckle, her thoughts quickly found their way back to the elder Uchiha brother.

* * *

"Sakura, I presume," the Uchiha had said to her, his form floating above her in a blur of crows.

"Itachi," was all she could manage as her eyes widened, not only at how easily she had been caught in his genjutsu, but at how kindly he spoke to her. He was dead, and this couldn't be real.

"I only wish to speak with you, Haruno-san," Itachi spoke in a purely polite manner, his expression was flat with seriousness. "Sasuke, is he all right?"

Blinking rapidly, Sakura nodded, "Y-yes. He's well."

A corner of his mouth lifted in content, much to her surprise. "Good."

"With all due respect, Itachi-san," Sakura mustered the courage to say, "is that all you wished to speak with me about?"

He shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. Konoha is in danger."

Sakura stifled a sigh, she couldn't remember the last time her village had not faced a large threat of some sort. Yet the intensity of his voice alerted her. "In danger?"

"Hn," Itachi affirmed in a way that made her want to smile despite the gravity of the situation. "Kabuto has a few more tricks up his sleeve. I'm sorry to say that I'm one of them."

"What can we do?" she asked, her eyes now hard with determination.

"I'm doing all that I can to break from this jutsu, but I don't know how long it will take," he stated, "But other then that, I suggest you prepare for battle."

_Again? _her thoughts whined. Sakura simply gave a nod at his words, "Hai."

He reciprocated her nod with an air of dignity. "And Sakura," he called.

She turned her attention back up to him.

"My brother," he began, despondently, "He will find out about this. Sasuke is a sharp boy. You know that." A sort of smirk came to his lips before he continued, "When he does, I expect he'll react brashly. But please, Sakura, don't let him do anything reckless. I'm sure we both know how impulsive he can be."

She nodded, a watery smile crossing her lips, "Yes," she chuckled bitterly, "I know."

"Sakura," Itachi said, "he cares for you. Please care for him in turn."

Trying to keep her emotions at bay, she closed her eyes, "Hai."

"You all need to get out of here as soon as I release you from this genjutsu. I've held off for as long as I can. Kabuto has his hands full. I suspect he's also poisoned you as he did others while in close contact. Get back to Konoha immediately," Itachi instructed, the purple air around them began to swirl violently as the tsukuyomi must have been coming to a close.

"Itachi!" Sakura called as the darkness began to swallow her form.

He turned to her.

"Thank you," she said appreciatively, a voice full of meaning, "Thank you for everything."

Itachi smirked once more, "No, thank _you_."

* * *

"Sakura?" Naruto waved a hand out to the girl who was submerged in her thoughts, trying to plan out what she would do. She gave him a reassuring smile to distract from the fact that she couldn't be less interested in the talk that continued to go on outside of her room. Familiar voices sounded over the 'Uchiha situation.'

"We can't trust him," one said.

"He's a loose canon!" said another.

"Would you shut it?!" another harsh voice said. It was Tsunade.

Sakura truly couldn't imagine what her shishou was thinking at this point, between the distrust of her subordinates and the ever so careful watch of the Elders. It must have been truly nerve-wracking for a single person to bear, but the rosette still hoped her master could find it in herself to give the boy another chance. This was entirely unlikely, but she still had to have hope. For the village, for her fellow shinobi, and for Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke had made it miles out of Konoha what seemed like hours ago. His legs burned with a familiar, desperate exhaustion of a man on the run. Occasionally, he would stall, checking back to see if he had been followed. And he had been a few times, but that was easily avoided. It was essential that he not be found in order to fulfill the task ahead of him.

He could only hope that Sakura was okay. Perhaps she would be busy being questioned; hopefully, too busy to occupy her mind with needless worries for the boy that now sat stooped in a tree; once again, hoping his village would not find him.

She didn't deserve this. But was there really any other way? He thought not, as he considered the alternative. Sasuke could have brought them along. Team Seven would be a whole again, going after the bad guy. It would surely be a fight far too much for any of them to handle. And then what? He would watch those precious to him taken away yet again? Images of a blond boy falling to the ground, blood gushing from his mouth, flashed before his eyes; only to be followed by a grey haired man running to his student's rescue, tears flooding his vision. But it was all for naught, as the boy was already gone, and the man was dead before he could reach him. Next a painfully familiar girl with cherry blossom hair would fight on as she watched those that she loved taken down mercilessly. She would feel pain. Malice would shadow over her good heart. Forever would she be lost, if she too didn't perish on the battlefield.

Sasuke refused for this to happen. He had to save them.

If only he could find his brother, and get this over with.

* * *

It was late that night when Sakura felt she could take no more. The discussion outside her door, that she had been inexplicably left out of, had ceased not long ago. Now, as she had nothing else to distract her wandering thoughts, she was left to her vices. The only thing she had left to do was wait. Wait for the voices outside to come back. Wait for the food that sat in front of her to stop steaming. Wait for the blond boy at the end of her bed to stop snoring. Wait for her shishou to come in and speak to her.

Wait for him to come back.

Still, it felt much like waiting was all she ever did. Sit. Wait. Wish. It was all pointless, wasn't it? She had to do something. Perhaps as she sat idly by, therein laid the seeds of her downfall. Her reluctancy to action tied along with her fear of failing others, going against orders, chained her to the four walls around her. And as she stared listlessly into the nothingness before her unfocused eyes, it hit her. Along with the presence of another.

"You should be resting," Tsunade spoke as she entered the room quietly. It was dark, with the exception of moonlight that poured in through the window on the far end of the room, but Sakura could clearly see concern in the Hokage's fine features.

"I think you and I both know why I can't do that, Shishou," Sakura spoke, a bitter smile on her face as emerald stared longingly out the window.

Naruto stirred at the end of her bed, sound asleep. She could only imagine that he'd had a hard day. Nearly as hard as she'd had. Tsunade ambled over to the boy, lightly stoking a single, spiky blonde lock.

"Sakura," she intoned seriously, "if someone doesn't retrieved him soon, we can only expect the worst."

"The worst," Sakura reiterated, a quirked eyebrow at the vagueness of Tsunade's words. They both knew the boy all too well, personal ties or not. 'The worst' had many different definitions.

"Aa," Tsunade responded melancholily, knowing that she needn't elaborate.

"With all due respect, Tsunade-sama," the girl began, "I don't really know why you're telling me this. There isn't much that anyone can do, much less me. So, I'm assuming you're here to tell me that you have only the best out looking for him."

A familiar, knowing smile hit the woman's painted lips. "You really have picked up on my ways over the years. I'll give you that. But that's not why I've come here."

Sakura swallowed, only expecting the worst that the two had previously discussed in passing. "Then what?" She hadn't meant to sound rude, but the situation was far too much to remain so composed.

Tsunade gave an amused 'tch' before sighing. "I'm here," she began, almost reluctantly, "to turn a blind eye."

Sakura's eyes widened in bewilderment as the words slipped from Tsunade's mouth, which was now sealed tightly. The usual furrow of her blonde brow had returned as she turned her head.

"Are... are you _serious_?" Sakura nearly whispered, hands ripping at her bed sheets.

With a curt nod, Tsunade continued, "You have the next twenty four hours to go. No questions asked, no search teams dispatched. I trust you'll find him and retrieve him with success."

Sakura could only think to nod vehemently, "Hai, Tsunade-sama."

* * *

With considerable speed, Sakura swiftly sliced through the air, going entirely unnoticed by the villagers below. It was essential that she not be seen, for you couldn't question something you couldn't see. The task at hand would not be an easy one, as she surmised Sasuke had made it far out of Konoha vicinity by now. Even knowing him as well as she did could not help her at this point, but she refused to accept that he was too far gone. Never would there be such a thing as 'too far.' She hadn't waited all these years just to lose him again. Sakura was perfectly content chasing him to the ends of the earth. But first she had to find him, and she knew exactly who to look for.

Night had crept up on her well before she reached the rooftop of a certain Uzumaki woman. Quietly, Sakura stooped down in her balcony, knowing Karin wouldn't let her presence go unacknowledged. Mentally, she began the countdown before the tirade. Three... Two... One.

Fiery red flashed before her and out onto the balcony before she could manage a second thought. "Who the fu- ?!" Karin began, frying pan in hand, ready to pulverize whatever bandit dared to enter her fortress. Sakura waved her hands out to the woman, avoiding her vicious glare. Quickly, the fire dissipated from the redhead's eyes and was replaced by sheer annoyance.

"Karin," Sakura called out to the girl from the darkness of her balcony ledge, "I need your help."

Karin groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead as if she couldn't believe her luck. "One, why the hell would I help you? And two, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAMN NIGHT, PINKY?"

Sakura checked her mental clock, "It's only ten o'clo-"

"WHATEVER."

The pinkette sighed. She had anticipated this would be difficult, and prepared herself for persuasion to come. Lifting her gaze to meet Karin's, she composed her thoughts earnestly.

"Sasuke," Sakura began, hoping to catch her sympathy, "he's gone."

"Tch," Karin sounded with a loud scoff. "I know _that_. Everyone in the whole damn village knows _that._ Come back in a million years when I give a shit," Karin waved an uncaring hand at the woman before heading back towards the door.

"Wait!" Sakura called. If she had any chance of finding Sasuke, she needed Karin's unrivaled sensory abilities. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl had skills.

Karin turned back, a merciful touch to her glare now. "After all of these years and you still haven't learned your lesson, Pinky."

"Senpai," Sakura quietly corrected with a noting finger. Karin narrowed her eyes at the reminder of the rosette's superiority.

"We both knew it was a matter of time before he left. Why go after him? It's a lost cause," Karin dismissed the idea.

"You know," Sakura began, sad eyes glowing in the darkness like a cat's, "I used to think the same thing. When we tried to kill each other," her gaze lifted to meet the woman before her, "when he tried to kill _you._" Karin's eyes widened in the slightest at the pained memory, her hand lifted to a certain scar in her abdomen as Sakura continued. "But he's not a lost cause. I just know he's not," pink hair fanned out as she shook her head, "The Sasuke I know has been in there this whole time. I've realized that while he's been here; while he's stuck around for me, for Naruto. That Sasuke you knew, that wasn't him. Don't you see that?"

Karin blinked incredulously, the sympathy entered her eyes slowly but surely.

"I know in some ways you still care about him, just like I do," Sakura said, knowing well that it hit Karin in a familiar place. "That's why we have to save him. So will you help me?"

Considering the girl's words, Karin stared off into the corner of the balcony, sighing. "No."

Sakura thought she might explode at the sound of yet another rejection, until the redhead continued. "Unless," Karin spoke, "you take me off the geriatric duties at the hospital and switch me over to the ER."

An appreciative half-smile came to Sakura's face. "Deal."

* * *

It was pitch black as the two kunoichi set off in search of the missing Uchiha. Immediately, Karin had been able to detect that he had gone west. Sakura found herself impressed that the redhead had been able to keep up this entire time, as Sakura herself had the speed of an ANBU. Albeit, Karin _had _had to keep up to Sasuke for all those months. Her heart went out to the girl, traveling with Sasuke wasn't easy when they were genin; she seriously doubted traveling with him was enjoyable while he was going through his heartless stage.

Soon, Sakura's thoughts found their way to the other Uzumaki she had left behind in her hospital room. It would be a whole day before Tsunade uttered a single word of Sakura's disappearance to the irate blond boy. He would find himself in the same position Sakura had all of those years ago; stuck, feeling helpless as your best friend went off in search of your other best friend; you didn't know where they were, or how they were doing. All you could do was hope they were safe. It shook her to her core, no one deserved that sort of torture, but she had to find Sasuke before he did something worth regretting.

Karin stopped dead in her tracks. In her typical stance, she stood atop a branch, hand pressed to a tree with her eyes closed in deep focus. Sakura heard her mumble a few words to herself before she looked at Sakura. Jumping to the branch Sakura stood on, Karin pointed a long arm forward. "He's up ahead, within the next mile or so," Karin spoke softly, aware of the gravity of the situation. It was the moment of truth.

Placing a hand on her comrade's shoulder, Sakura responded, "Thank you, Karin."

"Yeah, yeah," Karin said dismissively, unable to hide the softness in her voice.

Sakura set forth, making it to the next branch before she heard. "Sakura!"

Turning her gaze over her shoulder, Sakura looked at Karin. The redhead looked contemplative as she bit her lip in consideration of her words. "He cares for you," Karin finally said, touching a soft spot in the pinkette. "I believe you when you say that the real Sasuke is still in there, but," she stalled, "but I think he's only there because of you." She nodded to herself before returning Sakura's gaze intently, "Save him."

Sakura gave to girl a meaningful nod of reassurance before continuing alone.

* * *

It had been a long while since Sakura traveled through this forest alone. Not to say that it scared her seeing as few things did, but it felt so unfamiliar; almost empty as she looked off to the area around her which was devoid of any Narutos, Sais, Kakashis, or even Yamatos. Her heart pinged with a familiar uncertainty as she stared off into the darkness before her. She knew not what it held, only that it would take her to Sasuke. And that was reason enough to plunge herself deep into the dark unknown.

As she made it farther in, branches seemed to draw closer together, causing her to draw down on her speed (which must've been a sign from Kami as she was already on the verge of complete exhaustion.) Much to her fortune, the familiar chakra signature she'd been tailing for what seemed like several miles had slowed down considerably, or so she surmised as it grew closer with each stride. Feeling as if her heart might beat out of her chest, she continued. "Please," she said to the boy she saw so clearly in her mind, "please be here. Please don't go." Dodging each branch with a determined stealth that went unrivaled by any unfeeling shinobi, Sakura continued on with an unfaltering intent in her eyes. Closer and closer still, she drew to the chakra signature; knowing in her heart what was to come.

Finally, as she caught a glimpse his gliding figure, she pushed herself harder than she ever had. He was not getting away from her. Not so easily. Not now. Not ever again.

_"Sasuke!"_

* * *

Sasuke turned to peer over his shoulder at the presence he had felt, and recognized, but tried so desperately to ignore. None other then his one true weakness followed him with the deepest intent in her heart. Why? Why did she have to be this way? Why did she have to be so stubborn, so caring, so devoted?

As he had leapt out of that window and out of the village, Sasuke knew none of them would truly understand why he was doing this. Why he was leaving after he had come to see how much he had truly left behind, and even missed. They wouldn't understand just as they hadn't all those years ago when he first departed and cut all ties with the place and the people he called home. Yes, Konoha was his home. But not as much as Naruto and Sakura were his home. For what is a home with no one in it? Sasuke knew all too well that the answer was nothing; just an empty house filled with too many bad memories.

He had to do this, he had to save those people he called home, no matter what the cost. Still, he had to rid himself of the girl tracking him; even if he would hate himself for it. Yet all he could think to do was run and keep running from her. No matter how badly his legs burned beneath him, he had to keep going. She couldn't catch up to him. He couldn't let her.

It had been hours since the boy had set off, and yet here she was- steady on his trail. She was thickheaded, he had to give her that.

She was so close. He could almost smell her, feel her. The way her cherry blossom locks felt soft against his cold features; the way her sweet scent lingered in through his nostrils and sank down into his chest, his own sort of medicine. Sasuke was quick to shake the thoughts from his head. Now was not the time for weakness.

Steadily, Sasuke quickened his pace as much as he could bear to as he thought his legs might shrivel up beneath him. "You have to do this," he shuddered to himself, "you have to save them." His thoughts were quickly interrupted by the approach of another.

_"Sasuke!"_

He couldn't let her do this. He had to keep going. He had to keep running.

With a hard collision to his back, Sasuke was falling. But he was not alone. He realized this almost too late as the familiar scent that warmed his heart lingered into his nostrils. Sakura.

The two landed hard on the forest floor with a chorused grunt of discomfort. It wasn't a bad fall, but was any fall really good? Turning over, ignoring the searing pain in his side, Sasuke looked to his right. Sprawled out across the ground lay the very same girl he had been trying so hard to protect. He sighed with relief as she writhed around, mumbling colorful words of discomfort. A dirtied hand came up to clear messy pink locks from her face, which was also muddied up from the fall. Sasuke hardly took notice of his own dirtied state, as he was busy staring at her; a mix of annoyance and regard.

"I'm sorry," she finally spoke, pushing herself up as he did, "I had to."

"No, Sakura," he spoke calmly, "you didn't. But you do have to go home." It seemed like just yesterday that he'd uttered similar words to her, but he paid no mind to it as he began to walk away from her just as he had back then.

"No," she stated firmly.

He narrowed his eyes at her over his shoulder before turning to face the girl. "_No_?"

She stood her ground. "I'm not letting you leave."

"I'm not asking." She was so insufferably firm.

"Fine," she said, taking an offensive stance that he recognized from their sparring sessions, "then I'll just have to fight you, Sasuke."

He wanted to scoff at this, but decided against it. He was probably already hurting her enough. "Be serious, Sakura," he stated coldly.

A softness wavered in her determined emeralds, which remained steady on his form. "I am," she almost whimpered. He could tell she was internally beating herself for this stint of weakness.

Collecting his thoughts, he pinched the bridge of his nose and began, "Please. Just let me go."

She blinked rapidly at his words; her stance had not dropped, hands still held before her, ready for a fight. And yet her eyes welled with internal strife, each jade cutting into him like knives. "I won't," she shook her head, "I won't let you go again."

Sasuke turned away from her. He couldn't do this. The best thing to do was just leave.

Taking a step out of the moonlight and into the shadow, Sasuke closed his eyes; his only consolation being that if he never returned, she probably hated him anyway. Mid-step, Sasuke heard a rush of air before a sharp pain dug into his thigh. With a pained grunt, he tipped over in pain. The girl had hit a nerve, he could hardly move the limb. Glaring over his shoulder, he snarled, "_Sakura_!"

"You can't leave again!" she said, offensive hands held out before her. His anger dispelled as he realized she was crying; hot, angry tears. "I won't let you go again, Sasuke. Even if I have to drag you back, almost completely paralyzed. Even if I have to _really_ fight you. Even if I have to tell you that I still love you, and I always have, and I can't stand the thought of you going off alone again!"

Sasuke straightened out at her words, surprised yet calm, "Sakura..."

She didn't hear him, but just continued to shake her head. Desperately, she continued, "I told myself that if this ever happened again, I would be strong enough to stop you," her tone was soft, yet firm, "and I am. I'm strong enough. Which is why you have to let me help you."

Emerald came up to meet onyx, and she dropped her defensive stance. Tears continued to leak down. "I've changed, Sasuke," she began, "we all have. Please, understand that you're not alone. That you have me, and Naruto, and even all of the others." She reached out, taking his hand, much to his incredulity. "We will always be here. Please," she closed her eyes painfully, "please just stay with me."

_Stay with me_. After all of these years, and she still loved him.

"You're still so annoying," and with that, he pulled her into his arms. Soft tendrils of pink against his face, sweet jasmine filling his nostrils, hushed cries of relief into his shoulder. Nuzzling his face into her cheek, he planted gentle kisses along it before reaching her mouth. She whispered sweet I love you's into his lips as he claimed hers.

Retracting from her, he looked into her eyes as they shined bright under the moon. Pressing their foreheads together, hands joined, Sakura spoke.

"We'll do this together?" she asked.

"Hn," he reassured her with a nod, claiming her lips once more.

He loved her, and they would do this together.


	13. Konoha 12

**A/N: I am SO sorry for the wait, guys. D: School just started up again and, needless to say, I'm drowning in a mix of every unbearable form of academia. Please be understanding about my slow updates. And thank you for ****_being_**** understanding about my slow updates. I just don't want to release trash. You deserve better than that. I love you all dearly.**

**Reviews are my guiding light.**

**Recommend 1/2 page format.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Konoha 12**

Listlessly, Tsunade swished what little contents her sake bottle had left as she stared into the darkness of her office. As empty as the room was, she still felt the weight of concerned voices in her ears. All of their suspicions weighed on her shoulders, much to her vexation. It would never seem like too much for the Hokage, but the exasperation was simply unbearable. "Maybe you would've been more cut out for this job after all, ne?" she wondered aloud, thoughts of a certain perverted sage entering her mind, a sad smile tugging at her lips. For a moment, she wondered what his response would have been were he there to supply it. Of course this was impossible; but she imagined it would have been something like, "Ah, Tsunade, I think we both know you have all of the _assets_ for the job." A bitter chuckle escaped her as she managed a, "Baka," to the man she knew was listening; out there, somewhere.

A sudden appearance of chakra caught her attention, and she quickly turned her eye to the balcony. Two familiar figures stood in the darkness of dawn, awaiting recognition. Sighing in a mix of frustration and relief, Tsunade rose from her seat. She could only hope as she exited out onto the balcony that the news she was about to hear was that which wouldn't further frustrate the state of the village. But knowing Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke, this was unlikely.

Tsunade stood before the young pair, who were crouched subserviently; as most did before the Hokage herself. She couldn't resist rolling her eyes at the predicament and finally spoke. "This better be good."

"We've come to request something of you, Tsunade-sama," Sasuke spoke, in as polite a voice he had ever used, much to her surprise. She stifled a scoff.

"On your feet," she spoke, almost in a sigh. Years of leadership had made the woman weary of formalities. Why couldn't people just get to the point? "What have you to request?"

Sakura was the first to lift her gaze as she rose. "First, Sasuke would like to offer his sincerest apologies for creating an unrest within the village."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Then perhaps _Sasuke_ should do that."

Sakura's cheeks crimsoned in a fashion Tsunade was familiar with, emerald eyes skidded away in embarrassment. Sasuke met Tsunade's gaze with a boldness that made her want to punch something, and at the same time made her want to buy him a drink. "I offer my sincerest apologies, Hokage-sama." The way he pronounced her title led her to decide it would have been the former of the two.

"How sweet," Tsunade managed to say without gritting her teeth, "but I doubt that's why you two have showed up on my balcony before sunrise dressed for combat." She eyed the gloves Sakura wore, which Tsunade had gifted the girl with for combat, along with the black shades of their clothing.

The pair exchanged a look before Sakura followed, "We've come to request permission to lead a retaliation group."

"A retaliation group?"

The two nodded in affirmation.

"Against Kabuto on the borders of Fire Country," Sasuke furthered. Tsunade lowered her gaze; she had been afraid of this. Much to her dismay, she would have far more to speak of with the Elders than she ever cared for.

"We already have a squadron in mind if you would only permit us to assemble under the pretense of the protection of this village, Shishou," Sakura spoke, a familiar determination twinkling in those glassy emeralds. Tsunade met the gaze with a measured look, she knew _exactly_ just what squadron the girl spoke of.

With a nod, Tsunade followed with a sharp look in her eye, "And just why should I lend you a battalion of my youngest and most promising shinobi in such trying times?" Stern honey eyes focused in on the raven haired boy whose expression never seemed to fade from its shade of neutral stoicism, "And with regards to you particularly, Uchiha- why should I bid pardon on your disappearing yet again?" She chuckled bitterly, "You know, I had my doubts about you. But this girl," a softness wandered into her golden eyes as her gaze drifted over the girl she regarded as a daughter, "she is the _only_ thing that stood between you and a prison sentence." Sakura closed her eyes with a pained expression, still Tsunade followed, "But even now I'm not sure if she could sway my feelings about this. This village, these shinobi, we are a _unit_. But you've made it so clear to me that you," she shook her head, her gaze falling over the village, "you choose to walk alone."

Sasuke eyes finally met hers, his mask of neutrality hardly wavered. Tsunade continued, "So why," she crossed her arms stubbornly, "why should I let you drag Sakura, and Naruto, and all of those promising young people down with you?"

A moment passed and Tsunade's gaze weighed heavily on Sasuke's shoulders, still- he didn't budge. Impatience wore on the tired leader's being, and with an exasperated sigh she rolled her eyes. "Okay," she threw her hands up in frustration, "I'll just have to worry about your punishment later. Go ho-" as she started for the door she heard, "Wait."

Despite all of the sense left in the older woman, she turned back to the boy. Much to her surprise, an undeniable wave of concern had swept across the dark onyx eyes which had been devoid of emotion until now. Sasuke placed a calming hand on Sakura's shoulder, and she gave him a look of reassurance. Tsunade might have been touched by the exchange if she had not already been frustrated with the situation. Sasuke stepped forward to lessen the distance between the pair and Tsunade.

"I don't expect the village to forgive my actions," Sasuke began with a voice not lacking in forbearance, "I don't even expect most of the people I once called friends to look at me." Tsunade caught the pained breath that Sakura sucked in. "But this is my village," Sasuke continued, sense of purpose now encompassing his voice, "This is my village, because this is the village that my brother loved so much. This is the village that he fought so hard for. This is the village that he died for." Onyx snapped shut behind pained lids, he turned his face, speaking through clenched teeth, "And I'll be damned before I let his dream go to ruins!" Tsunade found herself inched back, the chills shivered up her spine. "I'll die before I let any of Konoha go unaware of what he did for all of us," Sasuke's voice lowered, "We owe this to him. He saved all of you- we owe this to Itachi. Let me save him."

Sakura stepped forward to comfort the boy, but caught herself and stood back. If there was one thing to be said about the Haruno girl, it was that she always knew her place. Tsunade gave the Uchiha boy a once over, a sadness had come to his features and his stature seemed less proud. This boy who had once strived to rid the world of his brother now deeply mourned for him. Examining the hopeless boy, Tsunade let a tired sigh slip. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, arms still across her chest. "You have the next 48 hours to assemble your battalion. Be ready."

The pair each lowered themselves onto one knee in respect. "Thank you, Shishou," Sakura spoke in a hushed, appreciative voice. Sasuke merely looked up with deep, desperate eyes; he gave a single nod of appreciation. Still, Tsunade knew that this was the most appreciative gesture that the boy could ever offer. In the blink of an eye, the two nin disappeared into the night.

A pleased 'hmmph' emoted from the Hokage as her lips lifted in a wry smile.

* * *

Sasuke followed the rushing blur of pink that he only knew to be Sakura. The grace of her steps and the beautiful flow of her strides was captivating. It felt nice to be able to admit this to himself. Sakura was beautiful, and she was his. Still, there was business to be done. With a purposeful stealth in his stride, he skipped ahead of Sakura to their first stop.

Arriving at a familiar apartment door, embroidered with a dim red Uzumaki swirl, Sasuke let out a sigh. Sakura gave him a measure look as he leaned against the railing, waiting for her to take action. Truly, this was more stress than he cared for. The dobe would certainly be quite miffed with Sasuke latest actions, and in some ways it would be deserved. Still, Sasuke shuddered at the thought of raspy complaints and never-ending, kyuubi fueled beatings. Humorlessly, Sasuke considered how exponentially more terrible Inner Sakura's wrath was; this was of the many times he could be thankful that Sakura adored him for some strange reason.

The hard fist he could only presume to be Sakura met his bicep with annoyance, snapping him out of his reverie. If only she could understand the sweet things he said about her in his head. Sasuke rubbed at his bicep with a scowl, "What?" he whispered coldly.

Silently, she gestured toward the door with rebuking expression, as if she were waiting for him to knock. He merely responded with a 'tch' and turned his face again. She would knock, and that would be it. Another perturbed fist met his bicep, Sasuke emoted a pained hiss, and met emerald with an angry look that said _WHAT?!_ She pushed him toward the door.

"_Be a man_!" she whispered harshly. Despite how miffed the Uchiha boy was at the girl's hard-headedness, he held a strange love for her sass.

With a sigh, Sasuke knocked at the door with noticeable force. Something stirred within the apartment. Knowing the dobe, he probably hadn't been sleeping soundly while one of his best friends was missing. For this, Sasuke _did_ feel bad. Sasuke listened as familiar footsteps padded across the wooden floor. Slowly the door creaked open, and Sasuke prepared for a scolding.

A yawning Naruto rubbed sleep from his eyes, a familiar walrus sleeping cap secured on his head. With a drowsy sniffle, Naruto opened his eyes.

"Oh hi, Sakura-cha-" Naruto's eyes drifted from the pinkette to the dark boy beside her. The light bulb flicked on.

"I'LL KILL 'IM!" the blonde boy began to rage, arms swinging as he tried to break hold from Sasuke's sleeper hold.

"Calm down first," Sasuke said.

"NEVER," Naruto replied. "Sakura-chan! Help me beat him up!"

Sakura took another step back, "Nope. This one's between you two." Sasuke would have to hold her to that one another time, he scowled at her. She met his scowl with an adorable grin.

"Would you just calm yourself, dobe," Sasuke struggled, "we need to talk."

"I said never!" and with that a flying hand lunged itself into Sasuke's open groin. Pain erupted in the Uchiha and he fell, immobilized, to the ground.

"You," Sasuke rasped, "_ASSHOLE!_" the two began rolling across the ground, attempting to land hits on each other.

As hair began to be pulled, Sasuke heard, "Okay," the two were suddenly pulled apart, held in the air. Sakura grasped each boy by the collar, "I think that's about enough." She set the down on either side of her. Damn her and her super strength.

"What do you want, teme?" Naruto crossed his arms, and stared off in another direction with a childish scowl on his face. Sasuke did not respond to the childish nature and was rebuked by Sakura's strong, mediating pinch.

With a hiss of irritation, Sasuke began, "I..." he sighed, "I need your help." He now had Naruto's attention; cerulean eyes drifted over Sasuke's form suspiciously.

"You need _my_ help?" hints of a grin made themselves known on the blonde boy's foxy face.

"Isn't that what I said," Sasuke grumbled.

"Sasuke," Sakura chided him with a frown. He raised his hands in apology.

"We need to put together a squad," Sasuke finally spoke, a seriousness in his tone, "now. And-" he stalled for a moment, trying to find the words, "We can't do this without you." Because no matter what happened, Naruto had and would always be his best friend.

This had never been truer than now, as Naruto answered, without hesitation, "Okay, Sasuke."

* * *

"Pig," Sakura shook the sleeping blonde girl, who stubbornly buried her face into the pillow. Sakura sighed and called once more as she continued to shake the blonde, "C'mon Piggy, wake up. Ino stirred but didn't wake.

"She's a heavier sleeper than even you, Sakura," Sasuke spoke, a slight smirk on his face. She tried to contain her blush at the fact that Sasuke knew something so personal about her.

"Give her a wet willy," Naruto whispered from the window. Sakura choked a laugh back and continued shaking.

Sasuke stepped forward impatiently. Sakura was quite nervous she watched him place a hand on the girl's pillow. A short, weak wave of electricity was sent through the pillow and Ino shot up.

"WHATTHEFUH-" Sakura clamped a hand over the Yamanaka's mouth. Stifling a laugh at the wild static that made Ino's usually perfect hair stand on end, Sakura shushed the girl.

"Pig, we need your help."

* * *

Team Seven strode on to the village gates, which Sakura had instructed Ino to communicate to everyone was the meeting ground. Sasuke's steps along the way were no less furtive than usual, although he was more pensive. She could feel as he thought and rethought everything, his expression hardened in contemplation. How she wished so badly that she could reach out to him now and make him perfectly aware of how much support he had. She and Naruto. They would always be there for him. And yet, the support of the rest of their friends remained so important to him. Sakura would have liked to think that she knew why, but she would just have to find out.

Upon arriving at the gate, Sakura was surprised to see everyone was there. Team Gai. Team Asuma, with a slightly staticky looking Ino. Team Kurenai. Even Sai. And now, as the attention of all fell upon them- Team Kakashi.

They landed on the pavement, in front of everyone, with hardly a sound. Despite these being all of the closest friends that Sakura would ever have, an anxiousness built up in the pit of her stomach. She and Naruto exchanged a look as Sasuke stepped forward and gazed around at everyone. This would be the first time that the Konoha 12 had been complete in years.

Plus Sai.

She felt his hesitation, he turned back to her, a lost look in his eyes. As he reluctantly turned to face the group, alone. Sucking in a breath, Sakura found the courage to step forward and in front of Sasuke. Turning a cheek to him, she watched his face fade from worry to a mix of surprise and pure emotion. She fixed him a smile and let it slip as she looked to her comrades. All of these familiar faces looked so uncertain, it pained her.

"Today, like many days, we have a common goal," she spoke. Her gaze fixed over the group, "We, together," her fingers entwined themselves with Sasuke's, "will save Konoha."


End file.
